MAY 18th marked the 30th anniversary of the heroic Gwangju People’s Uprising which took place in the city of Gwangju, south Korea, from May 18-28, 1980. This important anniversary is being commemorated in Korea and other countries.
The Gwangju People’s Uprising was a glorious revolutionary action undertaken to oppose the brutal military dictatorship of General Chun Doo-hwan. Chun had come to power through a U.S.-engineered military coup that overthrew the government of President Choi Kyu-hah and imposed martial law in south Korea in May 1980.
According to various news and eye-witness reports, the Gwangju People’s Uprising was triggered by student demonstrations on the morning of May 18 in defiance of the new military edict closing the universities and stifling any political dissent. The police were unable to hold the organized resistance of the people so a Special Forces unit trained for assault missions was dispatched to smash the uprising. The Special Forces used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to try and suppress the uprising but still workers, shopkeepers, and parents took to the streets to defend their children. Then the military opened fire, killing close to two hundred people and wounding hundreds more.
Gwangju, Korea, May 18, 1980: Soldiers are deployed against the people to brutally quell the Gwangju Democratic Uprising.
On May 20, some 10,000 people demonstrated in Gwangju. Due to the widespread militarization of the society, most major workplaces in south Korea had caches of weapons. Protestors seized these weapons, buses, taxis, and even armoured personnel carriers, forming armed militias to fight the army. On May 21, the Special Forces were forced to withdraw and the city fell to the citizens.
The next five days were unprecedented in south Korean history. The people organized themselves into citizens’ committees to ensure the well-being and security of everyone. Food, medical and transportation systems were organized and lively political discussions took place where the people gathered to discuss their future and their opposition to the U.S. occupation of south Korea and the military dictatorship.
On May 24, 15,000 people attended a memorial service in memory of those who died at the beginning of the uprising at the hands of Special Forces. On May 25, about 50,000 people gathered for a rally in Gwangju and adopted a resolution calling for the abolition of martial law and the release of Kim Dae Jung. (Kim, who passed away in August 2009, was at the time of the uprising a well-known political prisoner. He would later become the eighth President of the Republic of Korea and play a significant role in moving forward the north-south dialogue for reunification. Along with the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim Jong Il, Kim Dae Jung co-signed the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration which paved the way for a new period in the struggle for Korean reunification.)
Soon after this, the U.S. government of Jimmy Carter intervened because the Gwangju Uprising was seen as a threat to U.S. strategic interests on the Korean peninsula and Asia. The U.S. ordered the Chun regime to move troops from the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) separating north and south Korea and to re-occupy Gwangju. On May 27, at 3:30 am, the army swarmed Gwangju in Operation Fascinating Vacations. The people of Gwangju resisted courageously against this act of state-terror.
In the ensuing battle, thousands of civilians were killed and close to 15,000 people were injured. More than 1,500 people were taken into custody and many were tortured. Seven people were executed and 14 received life-sentences for taking a stand against the U.S. sponsored military dictatorship and to demand their rights.
The significance of the Gwangju People’s Uprising is that it delivered a decisive blow to U.S. imperialism on the Korean peninsula and signalled a turning point in the struggle of the Korean people’s collective will to rid their nation of the U.S. military occupation of the south.
It was also a decisive battle in the Korean peoples’ project of national reunification, their fight for democratic reforms and an end to U.S.-installed military dictatorships in the south.
The Gwangju People’s Uprising today finds expression in the determination of the Korean people south and north to oppose the criminal activities of the U.S.-installed puppet government of Lee Myung Bak, a government of national betrayal that continues to impose retrogressive anti-democratic measures in south Korea including using the anti-communist National Security Law to criminalize and persecute patriotic and reunification forces in south Korea. Under these conditions, the 30th anniversary of the heroic Gwangju People’s Uprising serves as a beacon to all the fighting forces in Korea as well as in the world who are joined in the struggle to rid the world of Anglo-American imperialism once and for all.
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RYDE TRADES UNION COUNCIL:
THE TRADE UNIONS ARE HERE TO GIVE THE ISLE OF WIGHT WORKERS A VOICE!
The Ryde Trades Union Council opened its new office with the words, “We are here and here to stay!” The re-affirming of Ryde TUC last year shows the perspective of the Union on the Island. We do have a view and along with island people will add to the standpoint of ordinary folk making decisions about the future of the Island.
The NHS.
We are proud of our hospital, St Mary’s, and we will make every endeavour to safeguard it like the apple of our eye. Everyone, young and old, from whatever background needs St Mary’s sometime.
Along with hospitals up and down the country, the island NHS is faced with a shortage of cash. Ryde Trades Union Council insists that the decision making should not be the men in suits, the politicians from the mainstream political parties etc, but the people and that is why we say, “Not one part of the NHS to be cut, Not one job to be lost and Not one penny off the budget!” This is about our right to a fully funded NHS and we should demand it.
The government has gone on and on about how much money has gone into the NHS but we all know that Private Capital is draining money out again. A recent research pointed to the amount that Private Finance Initiatives (PFI’s) are sucking out of the system. It has emerged that the NHS will have to pay private sector contractors an incredible £53bn for hospitals worth only £8bn. Under new figures it has become clear that the taxpayer will have to cough up an extra £45bn for up to 30 years to pay for NHS hospitals built at a fraction of the cost. Private sector firms involved in the PFI projects will benefit from a massive 540% return on the initial agreement. This is at a time when the NHS is confronting a £500m deficit this year, leaving medical staff facing job cuts, wards facing closure, and patients facing further delays in securing treatment. It is high time to outlaw these PFI schemes. Another aspect of the financial problem has been the soaring costs of drugs from the profiteering pharmaceutical companies. For the sake of the public and those that work in the NHS, the local Trades Union Council is tackling this issue.
The Fire Service
There are other areas of public funding where jobs and the interests of the public are under threat. It is not that long ago that accident and emergency response centres were moved to the mainland. 999 calls are now handled off the Island and the latest proposal is to backtrack on commitments made on the fire services. The proposal is to amalgamate Fire services with Hampshire and more stations are in the pipeline to close. Cutting corners with the Fire Service is a dangerous game to play with people’s lives and property and the Trades Union Council will oppose these cuts.
Care Homes
As is widely known council care has been all but eradicated throughout the country. Workers, who have worked all of their lives, and are no longer able to care for themselves are faced with the limited availability of decent accommodation in old age. This is totally unacceptable. The huge problems faced by poor families who have had to take on the role of carers are a travesty of justice. Worker’s savings and houses are taken over to fund care in Private Care homes. The Trades Union Council will add its voice to the growing feelings about this problem and will campaign for the rights of our senior citizens.
Pensions
The Trade Unions have long fought for the rights of pensioners to a decent livelihood in old age. The cutbacks in Final Salary Pension Schemes in many jobs are well known and the Trades Unions will continue to fight for pension rights at the place of work and for a decent State Pension. The actions of Public Sector Workers should affirm recognition that an injury to one is an injury to all. The right to retire early is as important as the right to a decent income in old age.
End Low Pay
The Trades Union Council does not accept that low pay should continue to exist on the Island. Seasonal work is not acceptable as an excuse to keep pay low. There are many firms, hotels and shops operating unnecessarily with low pay. It is also not acceptable that immigrant workers have to exist on pay, which is below the National Minimum wage. We call on all unorganised workers to join a Trade Union and work on the basis of UNITY IS STRENGTH! and THE UNION DEFENDS US ALL!
Unemployment
Unemployment is high on the Island. The National figure of 1.7m unemployed does not take into account those who do not sign on; the number of unemployed is much higher. The Isle of Wight has a population of around 125,000 of which just about 40,500 are in employment The island has the lowest GDP per head in the SE region, and indeed, with the exception of Mid Glamorgan, the lowest in the entire UK. The impact of this shows itself on the island in the form of high levels of deprivation. The unemployment situation is the worst in the south east of England. Many people are living on poverty benefits, recently the decision of the government to slash incapacity benefits left many disabled reduced to poverty. The cuts were draconian and aimed at those perceived as not being able to defend themselves, many having both physical and mental conditions. The Trades Union Council denounces these Government moves and will fight to reverse this situation.
Against War
The Trades Union Council in Ryde, like most people, is against the war in Iraq and against any impending war on Iran. We believe that all international problems should be sorted peacefully and through dialogue. Much of the funding that could be used to fund social programmes is diverted towards financing wars. If we had a government that was truly anti-war we would not have many financial problems. Many young workers on the Isle of Wight join the armed services and end up in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. We do not want our children who join up to have to face these dangerous situations; we do not want the trauma to be pass to bereaved families who lose loved ones. Most wars are not in workers' interests as it is them that have to go and fight, often against other young workers in poor countries. We say that we should stop interfering in other countries' affairs and we should end the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq and bring the troops home.
Transport
We believe that the island provides an ideal opportunity for the development of an integrated transport system and can model the development of one. The endemic problem of clogged up roads, parking and all associated problems has to be tackled. It is in our interests to have a regulated public transport system with reasonably priced bus train and ferries on the island, which are clean, safe and reliable. We do not think that this is outside the realms of possibility. We also are firmly of the opinion that this is essential in order to protect the environment, which we all deeply care about. It is from this standpoint that we support the re-regulation of ferries and buses on the island. We do not believe that it is in the interests of the people on the island that private monopolies such as Wightlink and Red Funnel should have total control of ferries and that the council should provide a cheap ferry service for islanders. We also are of the opinion that buses should be passed back to the council and bus drivers should be paid much higher than the £7 they have been offered at present. Ryde Trades Council fully supports the on line Petition for Cheaper Ferries.
