The Present Condition and Prospect of the Labor DB

Chung, Young-chul

1. The Necessity and significance of computerizing Labor DB.
Thinking that "if I could find any materials for reference to use in this union member instruction. I search every nook and cornet of the office visit every bookstore ; however it is not easy to get the necessary materials. In case that I would get the materials of the office after half days toil ; however they are not preserved in good condition.
Even though some might ask what a pity it is in these days of 'information-flood'. It takes a lot of efforts to get the data(materials) which can be properly used appropriately in our union (organization). Can't we collect, classify and search without difficulty the data about the activity of all the labour unions in the country and the successive executives? This is in no way simple. Perhaps it is not so light to take care of the data which is being piled in the office of each branch. so much data can be badly kept separated in small offices and it is unrealistic to operate a databank with neighbouring unions.
The world is 'informationized' very rapidly. It is said that in United States the construction of the 'information Highway' drew an attention and through the concrete discussions development of it has started. Korea has a internationally high distribution rate of personal computer and experienced a vogue for internet 'Netizens' who through the computer communication express their opinions and put pressure in such realm as society, polite, and culture are increasing at an explosive speed.
Computerization of data! Every kinds of data for councils, research papers, declarations as well as market, finance, every kinds of art performance are distributed not in the forms of paper rolls but through the world of the computer communication network (without regard to profitability). Parts of our life are being copied.

To copy some parts of labor union's activity, to disclose the inhumanity of capitalism to agitate strife and appeal the fraternity, and furthermore to develope new strategies from the experiences of comrades and predecessors; to do all these things through computer communication network is if great importance. (For example 97general strike was thorough internet reported to the laborers of the world and recently the comrades of Sa.-mi Special Steel made their homepage and reported the inhuman treatment of Posco and the condition of their strike to the laborers of the world)
The data accumulated in these ways can be preserved and handled so that anyone can easily find and use it at any time.
Due to the rapid development of science technology civilization a great number of informations are being distributed in a great speed and most of them are concentrated on the poser and capital. Distorting and adorning these informations, the power and capital are making dominant ideology such as "globalization" or " international competitive power" and strangling laborers through the contaminated informations. In order to resist this power and capital , we have to intervene in the system of distributing informations and confront the intrigue of power and capital by collecting, accumulating, handling, analysing, integrating every kinds of data in order to confront efficiently we have to construct a system which can be used easily by everyone. Thus database concerning labour is inevitable.
to make informations DB is to construct a system that users may search them and produce new informations by induction. In this article I will examine only DB concerning labor on the public-information communication network by the computer.

2. The present situation of labor DB on the public-information-communication network examined in the case of <Trade Union News>.
To support systemically and professionally labor unions activity. TU has made all kinds of information communication labor DB and offered it through a public-information communication network. "Chollian". For the three and half bears since its opening. 65000 pieces of data has been made in the form of database so that anyone can use it through simple search at any time.
Since the institution was established in 1992. TU for two years has collected many kinds of informations on labor trends, trends of labor laws and precedents, and research papers in the labor and from the 12th, April, 1994 offered the comprehensive DB through public information communication network, "Chollian" for pay.
At the moment personal computer was distributed in full-scale to the each progressive organization. TU's offering DB was very significant and foreseeing in that it made it possible to find news, many kinds of research papers, and precedents first in the history of labor movement. TU showed up as proper DB and in respect of availability exceeded the availability of informations in the precedent form of paper.

Typical DB concerning labor in the public-information- communication network assumes two forms ; the one is specialized labor DB has been expended as informations on labor consulting by public labor manager. by Christian labor consultation office was formed and in 1996 Weekly Laborer's Paper and Daily Labor News was established. As for clubs and CUGs. labor organizations has made database through a communication network "Truenet" in small scale and branches. Jeaguisans labor organization has set up clubs and CUGs. These works reached the stage that. In 1996,197 two major labor union set up CUG on " New n  " and plan to make database of the materials about their activity in full length.

Let's examine the contents of DB concerning labor there are labor union information(comprehensive DB which deal with news concerning labor(Labor Newspaper, Daily Labor News) consultant DB which contains consultation case study and its content. However division among them are now obscure. Clubs or CUGs are producing comprehensive DB made up of informations about consultations and various materials in order to enliven the activity of the members whereas beyond the earlier distinct division. Socialized labor DB is also transformed into comprehensive DB, producing DB concerning relevant trends and materials.

According as each DBs become comprehensive, they become indivisible and assimilated. Thus DB users have difficulty in searching informations they need. And this cause each DB(specialized labor DB in particular) to waste considerable efforts and costs. Repeated investment of each DB which is supporting the labor union movement means waste of time, money and manpower.
The labor DBs on the public information, communication network have their own strength and weakness. Forum or CUGs are the most cheap for users to get informations. But their informations are inaccessible except their members. Besides their production of DB is discontinuous (whether a sysop works full-time or not. Or a person who assumes full responsibility can be trustworthy) and their renovation cycle of DB is relatively long. On the other hand specialized labor DB has relative advantages in that it can be used by andy one who uses the public information-communication network and that it is produced and renovated continuously. But users of specialized labor DB have to pay the time used in getting the informations. These are the characteristics due to the peculiarities of each DB units.
While cost for the specialized labor DB is frequently spoken, forum or CUGs has many limitations in respect of the continuity, speciality and abundance of DB, for its lack of full-time worker. Thus in managing specialized labor DB, for long DB cannot be offered without charge, under the present condition of our DB(relatively insufficient recognition of the significance of DB on the labor union as public organization-only one man charge of CUG in democratic labor union).

As to the state of management of each DB unit, they are suffering from their small scale and lack of manpower. As regardless of the forms of DB, manpower which deal and manage DB is insufficient, supply of manpower of desperate. To select and collect the necessary informations in the flood of informations and to transformed manage them in a system which can be searched and used is the heart of the construction of DB. Each DB unit is operated by from 1 to 4 persons at most and overflowing informations cannot be treated by these small number of people. (In part this results from the repeated investment).

The financial state of each DB is very bad. Forum or CUGs are relatively well all, for they are operated without a full-time worker or a separated office, but specialized labor DB, as it is operated by cost of users for the time used without any extra income, is suffering from financial pressure. On the contrary, as users think that cost for the specialized labor DB is expensive, specialized labor DB can not solve financial problem by raising the cost. Thus, it is pretty difficult to continue and renovate quickly DB.
The first reason of the financial trouble is the smallness of DB market. As for the specialized labor DB, main users are the leaders and members of labor union, staffs and members of labor organization are neither familiar with computer nor good at searching informations through computer communication, although they can use computers. And generally are sharing DB of labor union or labor organization rather than connecting through their won ID for the cost. This is also the case with the organization of employers. In other words only minority of our society search the necessary informations and use them on the public-information and communication network - DB of Adults' room, chatting room, stock, real estate, employers are used over 1,000 hours a day.
Informations, especially DB concerning labor, are searched and used on the public information-communication network by the request and demand of groups such as the labor union, organizations, companies. Under this condition the frequency of using labor DB cannot help being limited.
The second reason for the financial trouble of labor DB is the repeated investment in the small market. As each unit is operating almost same informations with limited person (due to the financial problem), they cannot bear the overflowing informations, neither many informations can be used in the repeated works. It might not be an overstatement that this lies as an obstacle in the enterprises which strengthen the organized power of labor unions and make the laborers the leading part in constructing new society. Each DB, with its distinction lost, is distinguished in the capitalistic market only in the respect of price.

The last reason is that the cost of the users are distributed relatively inequally between the manager of the public information-communication network and specialized labor DB. It is said informally that the cost is distributed between the manager of the public-information-communication network and specialized labor DB (it is said that other DB suffered similar inequality) in the ration of 4 : 6(DB : network). The operation of specialized labor DB from the income at this ratio should be a miraculous work.
DB has conflict with communication network not only in the ration of distributing cost but also in the technological renovation. Communication network does not want the menu changed frequently in the period the opening DB. Therefore DB units, relatively weak, cannot change their menu in order to heighten the convenience of users and availability of DB.

Another state of present DB is that most DB is made in the form of paper (most in the text form, some in binary). This results from the lack of preparation for the Multimedia Age in which the speed of distributing informations are increased with picture and sound. Our DB remains at the stage of constructing home page on the Internet. As the space of the world gets narrower, labor DB have to prepared for this condition.

3. The Prospect and Task of Labor DB

The present state of Labor DB is examined above. though roughly. Labor Db have their prospect to overcome this reality.

Above all, the first task is to solve the financial problem of each DB. As mentioned above, in this structure managing DB on the public information communication network has to suffer deficit operation. this managing DB has to be sponsored in order to improve the financial state. If public organizations (labor unions) recognized the importance of labor DB and make investment. this is the most desirable; If it is not possible actually DB will be offered for pay inevitably.
Another solution for improving financial state of labor DB is to reduce the repeated investment. The present representative labor DBs in Korea are TU, Laborers' News, and Daily Labor News. Db is managed by about 10 persons in these DBs. If this repeated part can not be reduced, each DB will face the extreme financial problem from the price competition in the logic of capitalistic market and this cause a tremendous waste in the labor movement.

In addition, development of technology has to be prepared for the Multimedia Age to come before long. Labor DB has to improve itself immediately as media offered with picture, sound and letter.

To settle the two problem above, each media has to discuss one another. If the discussion is fruitful, that will be nice; if not, it will be a chance to share the present state and prospect and to make incessant efforts for the better future. Each subject must try their best this end. 
