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Activist Kim ends 309-day crane sit-in
Source: Agencies |
November 11, 2011, Friday
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AFTER 309 days atop a crane - sitting out snowstorms, a typhoon and heatwaves - labor activist Kim Jin-suk came down yesterday, claiming victory over one of South Korea's shipbuilders.
Kim's case became a cause celebre in Asia's fourth biggest economy amid growing worker anger over wage levels and the government's business-friendly policies.
Her soapbox was a cabin on a crane at Busan shipyard. Thousands of supporters traveled to the port in the south of the country to attend a series of rallies near the crane, which also drew applause from the main opposition party.
Kim said her protest had not only been successful in winning back employees' jobs, but also underlined "ideals that I have been working for half my life."
Dressed in blue overalls and wearing a baseball cap, she waved to a few dozen supporters and bowed, before climbing down a 35-meter ladder to end her sit-in.
"It is the first time in 309 days that I have seen a human this close," Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying.
Police took her to hospital for a checkup and said they would arrest her for business obstruction and other charges.
She ended her sit-in after workers at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction approved a deal to end an 11-month dispute triggered by the shipmaker's layoffs.
The deal calls for the reinstatement of 94 employees within a year, plus other benefits.
Kim slept in the crane's cab and used a bucket as a toilet. She celebrated her 51st birthday on the crane in July.
Kim's case became a cause celebre in Asia's fourth biggest economy amid growing worker anger over wage levels and the government's business-friendly policies.
Her soapbox was a cabin on a crane at Busan shipyard. Thousands of supporters traveled to the port in the south of the country to attend a series of rallies near the crane, which also drew applause from the main opposition party.
Kim said her protest had not only been successful in winning back employees' jobs, but also underlined "ideals that I have been working for half my life."
Dressed in blue overalls and wearing a baseball cap, she waved to a few dozen supporters and bowed, before climbing down a 35-meter ladder to end her sit-in.
"It is the first time in 309 days that I have seen a human this close," Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying.
Police took her to hospital for a checkup and said they would arrest her for business obstruction and other charges.
She ended her sit-in after workers at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction approved a deal to end an 11-month dispute triggered by the shipmaker's layoffs.
The deal calls for the reinstatement of 94 employees within a year, plus other benefits.
Kim slept in the crane's cab and used a bucket as a toilet. She celebrated her 51st birthday on the crane in July.
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