Informatization and labor education

Kim Seong-won. 
(Chief of a education team in Task Group for Labor Information)

. Introduction
This report is focused on the questions that 'how can we make workers approach the information communication technique?' and 'how can we use the information communication technique?' Concretely, 'the information education to workers'(chapter2) and 'the change of labor education with using information communication technique'(chapter3) are dealt with in this report. I was also trying to summarize the all education cases in this report after launching Task Group for Labor Information(TGLI). I know that the contents of the paper has such a empirical aspects in it, and I think that's the limit of it.

 Labor informatization
You will see 'Labor informatization' very often. It is needed to set the exact meaning of the phrase. 'Labor informatization' we are using here comprehensively means 'response of labor movement camps to informatization'. In other words, this means 'the positive change responding to the informatization era'. This is not the same meaning as 'automatization of production' or 'informatization of production' that are just for strengthening the efficiency of production. The meaning of 'Change' here includes all of 'policy-responding power to informatization of capital', 'use of information communication technique in labor movement', 'computerization and informatization of unions' works', 'having laborers have information-relating sense' and 'combination of information communication movement and labor movement'

 Labor informatization education
Task Group for Labor Information was founded in December, '96. We have been doing seminar for making information-relevant policies, supporting labor database construction and application,  creating unions' work management software, supporting facilities for making network between unions and educating unionists about computerization and informatization, etc. But we recognized that the priority to complete labor informatization is to spread out information sense among workers. Because majority of union leaders and activists don't understand the real change facing informatization era and they don't recognize the importance of preparing for it. Furthermore, their jobs are usually far away from information communication technique so that they even refuse the information communication facilities. 'Labor informatization' could be easily ignored in the condition. In order to overcome this condition and prevail the information sense throughout working places, TGLI has been making a great effort to practise 'labor informatization education task'. We held 'open classes' for union members,  visited working places to educate the members, did a special education task with organizing small groups. Those are followings.

. Informatization Education for Workers.
Like saying above, 'labor informatization education' doesn't simply mean 'teaching computer skills'. It means various education tasks for having the members of labor camps have informatization sense as precondition of 'labor informatization'.

 Necessity of Labor Informatization Education
Necessity of labor informatization education is suggested by two aspects. The first is about TGLI's purpose to educate unionists for achieving 'labor informatization'. Secondly we can get one point from the example of unions which took part in the education program.
Necessity of 'labor informatization education' starts with very simply chance. That is the recognition of the fact that if no workers don't know about information communication facilities like a computer and pc communication, any labor informatization task is not useful. That is why labor informatization education program we did was mainly to teach how to use a computer. But that was not a simply skill-teaching. In order to help workers understand the necessity itself of the education, to suggest the way of response against capital-centered informatization, to prevail good model cases of effectively using communication technique, 'simply teaching' became a very crucial opportunity. So, practicing the labor informatization education program this year, TGLI always did other programs like above ones. That was more than 'teaching computer skills'
To begin with, labor informatization education is the direct way to eliminate the situation of an exclusion of workers. Another it has is that through the programs we was able to catch a chance to let workers comprehend the social change processing in a big scale and relation between the change and workers themselves.  
Educated members are not afterservice men to fix broken computers but professional and main power to carry out 'the labor informatization task.'
We are now regarding attentively the significance of labor informatization education that is a opportunity to newly 'organize' union members who are already used to information communication facilities, and to share deeper knowledge and vision with them.

Let's see what kind of necessities trade unions where we did education programs felt about labor informatization education. Actually, the position of unions is more realistic. The unionists showed little recognition about it, they just wanted to try something new and computer education program was very it. Another reason is to rise staffs' ability to work, so called 'O/A'. In the case, labor informatization education program was just 'education of skills' to them.
Demand of informatization is recently threatening workers at the whole social level. Workers are more and more taking attention to computer education.  Even though workers in their 40's bought a computer for their children, they themselves don't even try to touch the computer. In the case of workers in their 20's and 30's, they still have the enthusiasm to challenge the computers. That is why computer education program is exactly reflecting the demand of workers. Their potential desire to learn it is so big. In many unions like   Hundai motors union, Daewoo motors union and Hundai Heavy Industry union which asked us for the education, when they informed union members of the education and collect applicants, such a large number of members applied for it and the entry was finished only after a few hours. It was so surprising things. Very this point makes unions find out new task-computer educating. On the contrary, original programs like managing a Poong Mul Pae(a concert team playing korean traditional musical instruments), a singing team or a culture-related small meeting
Now we are not underestimate the demands of unions for informatization education.  I am just say the general tendency. The cases of almost unions and leagues which we were in contact with might be applied to indication above.  But there several distinct examples. They found new way to strengthening their union's weakened power in the Hundai Heavy Industry union and it was 'labor informatization.' They  clearly understand possibilities and limits of labor informatization and have considerable experiences. Fired unionists and some of activists together collected money and made computer education facilities. Attention is paid to their plan educate members and staffs of the union, and to construct labor database. 
Members in 'small meeting for labor informatization' of the Seoul Subway union are making 'a computer class for unionists'. They are aware of the possibilities of utilizing information communication technique. The task is in a serious of their plans. They are told to use positively it for their organizing and propagandizing activities.
In KCTU(Korean Confederation of Trade Unions), from small groups in the shopfloors, necessity of labor informatization education is getting recognized. On the contrary, in FKTU, they set up a committee only for informatization and 'informatization education' is systematically included in their whole plan. It is being done very powerfully by the headquarters themselves.
Although the two confederations have different conditions, it is estimated as good points that labor camps realize the changes they will confront and necessity of preparing for it. But still they are only thinking of using computers themselves and constructing physical infrastructure. 

 Contents of the education
'Labor informatization education' programs are divided into three parts. Those are 'education of simple computer skill', 'application education' and 'education for policies'. We know very well the three parts have to be balanced. But whereas we systemized 'education of simple computer skill' during this year, we haven't done the same thing in the other two fields mainly about how information communication skills can be used for union operations and how unions can prepare response for the change of working conditions like losing jobs because of informatization.
Followings are our experiences we got while practicing labor informatization education programs.

 education of the computer skill
The first thing we faced was the fact that almost unions were using 386 or 486 computers with Dos or Windows 3.1.  
We mainly educated 'Windows95' for operating system education. 'A Ra A Han gul 3.0' was chosen as word process program which was used most generally. Computer communication was educated with 'Na Woo Noo Ri' where unions' CUG are the most. ' Yee Ya Ghi 5.3' was at first used as a software for computer communication but changed later to 'Sae Rom Dataman Pro'. Because it was a shareware. For internet, the explorer was used since it has Korean in it and be taken for free. Home page making education was done, too.
Meanwhile, we educated union staffs in using database with 'FOX pro'. But 'Access' is more general they say so that we decided to use it. Some unions were managing CUG. We dealt with the education of CUG manager(system operator) in the unions.
In addition, in order to train computer experts-it was not directly for unions, we managed education programs for computer programming, homepage making, oracle database. We managed small groups and study teams to make the education effect higher and we can lead the result to organizing other small groups. 

 Information Communication Using Trainning
Cases of using information communication tech for labor movement are just simple reports about Canada and some Europe. And there is almost nothing about Korea. So 'the Information Communication Using trainning'in Korea sounds like the only possiblity. However we have struggled to educate labors about 'the application of the Information communication tech'with our lack of knowledge and experience. That we have educated is almost about other's fine model.
   - The propaganda and advertisement by using Information communication 
  ; Telecommunication volunteer activity during general strike.
    Electronic union's news (News letter)
    Electronic union's news (Home page in web site)  ect.
   - The making uprising activity groups by computer communication
  ; The case of HandSaMo, black ribbon movement.
    Telecommunication volunteer activity during general strike
   - The electronic learning for lobors
  ; The case of Solenet.
   - The deriving of democratic debate by computer communication
  ;Progressive Internet mail list, Forum of studying labor process research
   - The international unionism and the shearing current issues by C.C
  ; LaborNet, Strike homepage ect.
   - shearing 'Minjung gayo' by computer communication.
  ; No-rae ha-na, Hat-byut han-zoom
   - Sending fax and wordprocessing by computer 
  ; E-mail, the telefacsimile function in the software.
Those activities are that we have introduced to the public about 'Using Information communication'. Through those experience we found the fact that to set an fine example is the most important and then it will be a conrete charactor of that.
 Labor tech policy trainning
'Nojoungdan', they have had 8times seminars and a conference in order to have their own identity. Even though we did their best, it was very difficult to find technical specialists who could give an answer around us. Not only that, but also that there wasn't any concrete reports at all. The only thing we could get was the information about foreign unions and the declaration of informationalize by Labor party in U.K. and 'End of Labor' which was written by Jeremy Rifkin was the only book we could find.  However we began to educate with this subjects.
- The meaning of the informationalize
- The present condition of Information communication development
- The informationalize and the change of the labor condition
- The informationalize and the unemployeement problem
- The example of the policy to the informationalize in foreign labor movement 

 Preparation
we needed many preparation in order to train labor tech with computer communication. Here are some essential equipments. Computer system, circuit for computer communication, C.C I.D for education, beam progetor, books, educational software, sound system ect. In addition, if we have to train more 20 labors, more equipment facilities are required. This means that just small union or group can't take on. So the preparation for 'Labor tech trainning'  must be the preparation for the possible space for trainning.
However we have found fine place to train. At first, there are some place where computer communication company let their customer use. We often use NowCOM's place and the place is really well-fitted. If it is difficult to use this place, then Internet cafes and a Korean software supporting centre could be the other way. Most of major company have a computer trainning centre, but just only the Daewoo automobile company possess a computer centre to use computer communication. 
And 30 educational ID are given by computer communication company are available to use computer commnication. 

 Supporting Education Programs
Actually we used be very pessimistic about 'Information communication' Because not only 75% of union members who attended for trainning didn't have any  I.D for computer communication but also they haven't got any computer at all. It is the common sense that someone must be familiar with computer, before they use computer well. So we've had campaign like 'the having a ID',' the demand for computer in each foyer during negotiation'. It is more efficient when they have more chance to use computer.

. The change of labor trainning by application of information communication
It is quiet differ from the subject we've focused on so far. We are not going to talk about 'Labor tech trainning' itself, we're going to think about why we should use the information communication for labor education and how we use.

 The activity as providing information
Amongst the lots of changes caused by information, concerning education, we must pay attention to the "increase of net workers" who are accustomed to 'Informationcommunication'. They are the only class that have already learned computers and infornation communication and moreover they enjoy it much. They also understand the new culture made in cyber-space and when they return home they stay right in front of the computer and start to dnjoy the new world. Compared with other generation, they have different human relationship and their own method to share the culture that they get. It may be an ineffective to educate them in traditional method(that used to emphasize the collective). Because of this educating the members in trade union should be reinforced and compensated as "education offering information by using technology of information and communication". That is to say, we must collect various information(including multimedia information) related to the workers and them through computer communcation.

 Education adaptable for condition of individualization
We have pointed out disposition of individualization in the progressive workers' characteristics. But old workers are being individualized as well as these progressive workers.The biggest reason of individualization is insecurity of employment, since Sun-kyung Industry's mass reduction in 1996, and now this kind of tendency is turning out to be very serious. More and more the number of workers - partime or temporary workers - is increasing. Thet can't participate in collective and systematic activities because they are not full time workers. Generally speakin, individualization of workers is also going on among the old generation. However, each worker after finishing the work, he should distribute and use their spare time according to their own plan. Thus we need the new education that can help workers to adapt themselves to individualization and to make their own plan of education. The trade nuion can't avoid using technology of information cummunication to raise this kind of education. That's because only information communication is an effective way to educate workers.
Through e-mail, we can offer the information and this method will make it possible to educate individualized workers effectively. Of course, we are not understanding is planing to open 'labor university on-line' in next year as an example. In this university most of classes will be on-line.

 The connection between union member's and technical specialists
The various small study groups have veen since 1987 in 뵿 . And the only subject- 'labor law' used be enough to study together. But the factory system and the current situation of labors change rapidly and this current issue can't be solved by the one who have only read many socail science books. By the time goes those small study groups began to disappear in factory.
The problem how we engage a technical specialist who may be able to give the answer for new educational requirement is the current issue.

