Korean Workers and Neoliberal GlobalizationOne of the most remarkable aspects of South Korea’s transition from impoverished post-colonial nation to fully-fledged industrialized democracy has been the growth of its independent and dynamic labour movement. Korean Workers and Neoliberal Globalisation examines current trends and transformations within the Korean labour movement since the 1990s. It has been a common assumption that the ‘third wave’ of democratisation, the end of the Cold War, and the spread of neoliberal globalisation in the latter part of the 20th century have helped to create an environment in which organised labour is better placed to overcome bureaucratic national unionism and transform itself into a potential counter-globalisation movement. However, Kevin Gray argues that despite the apparent continued phenomena of labour militancy and the rhetoric of anti-neoliberalism, the mainstream independent labour movement in Korea has become increasingly institutionalised and bureaucratised into the new capitalist democracy. This process is demonstrated by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ experience of participation in various forms of policy making forums. Gray suggests that as a result, the KCTU has failed to mount an effective challenge against processes of neoliberal restructuring and concomitant social polarisation. The Korean experience provides an excellent case study for understanding the relationship between organised labour and globalisation. Korean Workers and Neoliberal Globalisation will appeal to students and scholars of Korean studies and International Political Economy, as well as Asian politics and economics. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 32
... debate 4.2 Union density, number of unions, and number of disputes 5.1 Main points of the First Tripartite Accord 5.2 Union centralization and representation 7.1 Workers covered under social insurance and benefits. Figures. 2. 1 ...
... debates surrounding the relationship between organized labour and neoliberal globalization. Such debates have arisen from the recognition that interpretations of the post-Cold War era as the 'end of history' (Fukuyama 1992) or the ...
... debates surrounding labour and globalization by examining whether indeed the new realities of increased enmeshment of national economies within the neoliberal global economy lead to the fundamental transformation of labour organization ...
... debate within the labour movement that was explicitly critical of militancy and saw moderation and social partnership with government and business as being a more appropriate strategy for the labour movement given the changed external ...
... debates over resistance to neoliberal restructuring have revolved around questions of whether or not to enter or remain in the tripartite corporatist arrangements. In chapter six, I explore various aspects of the Korean labour ...
Contents
1 | |
12 | |
2 Globalization crisis and the entrenchment of neoliberalism in Korea | 31 |
3 The rise and fall of militant labour unionism in Korea | 52 |
4 Social movement unionism and the Korean labour movement | 71 |
5 Latedemocratization and low intensity social corporatism | 92 |
6 Korean labour and the struggle against neoliberalism | 110 |
7 The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions social reform struggle | 130 |
Conclusion | 150 |
Notes | 162 |
Bibliography | 170 |
Index | 189 |