UNI Tech Organizing Network meets in Seoul at a pivotal moment

The 5th UNI Asia & Pacific Tech Organising Network Forum opened last week in Seoul’s Central Post Office, connecting union leaders and tech employees from around the world to discuss strategies for building worker power in the tech sector. 

 

Participants included Lee Jay-Jan, President of KFSWU; Ando Kyoichi, President of UNI Asia & Pacific; Rajendra Acharya, Regional Secretary of UNI Asia & Pacific; and Parul Koul, Chairperson of the Alphabet Workers Union/CWA who spoke at length about Google worker organizing in the U.S.  

 

The day also featured insights from Kim Jong-Sub, President of Google Korea Union, on organizing efforts at global tech companies like Google, and concluded with updates on union activities in various countries and key companies. “Now that I’m part of the labour union, I’m not only getting the support of it, but I can also have much better job security, much better transparency. It makes a night and day difference. SAP Korea is a much safer company and a better company because of the labour union,” said Su Yong Im, SAP union in Korea. 

 

On Day 2, attendees were invited by the unions to visit the Smilegate and Naver workplaces, to get an on-the-ground perspective of union activities in Korea’s major tech and game firms. The Naver union is a powerful union even on a global scale as their membership numbers make them the largest tech union in the world. UNI Asia & Pacific Regional Secretary Rajendra Acharya reflected on the importance of the meeting, stating, “Tech workers are rising in Asia and Pacific. These companies are expanding in the region, hiring more and more workers but these workers need to have a voice on the job, defend their rights and promote democracy in the workplace.”