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| ▲ LG Twin Tower cleaning workers, who were collectively dismissed after demanding succession of employment, improved treatment, and union activities, are demanding withdrawal of dismissal from the lobby of LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 4th. | |
| Ⓒ Yoo Seongho |
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| ▲ Members of the Joint Countermeasures Committee of the Civil Society of Labor Organization to resolve the collective dismissal of LG Twin Tower cleaning workers visited the LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 4th to support the LG Twin Tower cleaning workers who are working in the lobby. | |
| Ⓒ Yoo Seongho |
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“It’s okay now.”
On the afternoon of the 4th, the’LG Twin Tower’ cleaning worker Park So-young, who was fired on December 31st, <오마이뉴스>On a phone call with, he said, “A lot of the services like crows have disappeared” when asked “Is there any pain?” He said, “It turns on electricity again, and it can also be heated,” he said. “Thanks to many citizens and the media for taking interest and supporting us.”
Park So-young and her colleagues rebelled against the collective dismissal, and from the 16th of last month, they started a strike, demanding succession of employment, with agricultural growth in the lobby of the LG Twin Tower. However, on the afternoon of the 1st, the first day of the new year, electricity and heating for agricultural growth stopped without notice. Bringing in lunch boxes delivered to agricultural growth was also blocked by services that closed the building.
As related news spread on social media, citizens voluntarily gathered in front of LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul. As citizens tried to bring in their lunches again, there was a struggle with services trying to block them.
On the 2nd, Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young and Open Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Min-jeong visited the site and requested’bringing in lunchboxes’ to support the strikers. Electricity and heating, which had been cut off, began to be supplied at 1 p.m. on the 2nd, and lunchboxes were allowed again.
In October 2019, LG Twin Tower cleaning workers formed a labor union for reasons such as being a manager and breaking working hours. Afterwards, free labor on Saturday, which was considered a practice by negotiating with the management, disappeared. However, when they demanded improvement of treatment and extension of the retirement age, negotiations were stalled.
Eventually, S&I Corporation, a subsidiary of LG Group that manages the LG Twin Tower building, ended last year with a contract with Jisu I&C, a subcontractor to which cleaning workers such as Park belong. By changing the companies to which the workers belong, they were actually notified of dismissal.
According to the public transport union, Jisoo I&C, which workers belonged to, is a company owned by 50% of each of the aunts of LG Group Chairman Gu Kwang-mo, Gu Mi-jeong and Gu Hi-mi. The two are said to have received annual dividends of 5-6 billion won through the company.
“If you drive out the cleaners, LG products will be kicked out.”
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| ▲ Officials from labor and civil society organizations held a press conference in front of LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 4th, condemning the collective dismissal of LG Twin Tower cleaning workers, and declared a boycott of LG products. On this day, they said, “I joined the union to receive treatment without being neglected as a cleaning worker, but the return was driven out by collective dismissal.” “I will boycott LG products until the employment succession of cleaning workers is guaranteed and the union’s demands are fulfilled. I said. | |
| Ⓒ Yoo Seongho |
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| ▲ “I boycott LG and LG products that drive out cleaning workers” | |
| Ⓒ Yoo Seongho |
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On the 4th, the’LG Twin Tower Joint Countermeasure Committee for the Labor Civil Society Organization for Resolving the Collective Dismissal of Cleaning Workers (the Air Force Committee)’ held a press conference in front of Twin Towers on the 4th and announced the start of a boycott of LG products.
The Air Force Committee said, “We have continuously tried to talk with LG in order to resolve the collective dismissal situation in the past month, but LG refused to respond to any conversations and has cut off food and electricity from the new year.” “Without social pressure on LG. The boycott begins as it sees that it is impossible to solve the problem. LG is responsible for bringing the problem to be solved to the boycott.
The products that the Commission declared boycott on this day are products of LG Electronics, LG Household & Health Care, and LG Uplus, which LG Co., Ltd., a holding company of cleaning workers, owns more than 30%.
The Commission said, “Until the LG Twin Tower cleaning workers can return to their place, we will clean the purchases of LG Household & Health Care’s elastin, perio, saffron, and depay shop, as well as LG Electronics’ TVs, refrigerators, LG Gram laptops, and LG smartphones. “Please stop until the workers return.”
Meanwhile, LG CEO Kwang-mo Koo said through a video New Year’s address sent to employees on the 4th, “As people’s lifestyles are more personalized and consumption patterns change much faster, it has become more important to read the mind hidden within customers.” “It’s time to understand, find the desire in your heart, and make it a reality to increase customer satisfaction.”
CEO Koo said, “We need to look at the customers in detail, understand each customer’s needs in depth and detail, and find a need that can completely satisfy customers, not ordinary and universal needs. You have to empathize deeply.”
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| ▲ Officials from labor and civil society organizations held a press conference in front of LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 4th, condemning the collective dismissal of LG Twin Tower cleaning workers, and declared a boycott of LG products. | |
| Ⓒ Yoo Seongho |
View related photos |
S&I Corporation, which manages the LG Twin Tower building, said in a phone call on the afternoon of the 4th that “the position of making the utmost effort for employment succession remains unchanged” and “it is undergoing an internal review.”
At the same time, S&I Corporation added, “In one part, the pattern has changed. If it was a protest before the contract termination, now it is a protest after the contract termination,” he added. “We are thinking about what to do internally in various ways.” .
However, to the question’Do you know that citizens, including the National Assembly, are voluntarily working together?’, he left only a blunt answer, saying, “I know,” and “Wouldn’t there be some action?”
On the 30th of last month, Rep. Woo Won-sik, Park Hong-geun, Park Young-soon, and Lee Dong-ju, members of the Euljiro Committee of the Democratic Party, visited Twin Towers for agricultural growth and demanded that “LG companies must fulfill their social responsibilities.” . On the next day, the 31st, he made an urgent comment and said, “Eulji-Rowi of the Democratic Party will fight in solidarity with the workers so that cleaning workers who have lost their place due to collective dismissal can return to work.”
Meanwhile, as the situation of the cleaning workers became known, the citizens’ solidarity movement also continued. More than 3,000 citizens participated in the’One Meal Solidarity for Rice’ movement centered on Twitter, accumulating about 45 million won in donations.
On the 22nd, a national petition titled “Help the LG (LG Twin Tower) building beautification management 80 people unfair group dismissal of the ridiculous reality” posted on the Blue House National Petition Bulletin board reached 22,000 as of 3pm on the 4th. Citizens expressed their consent.