ACT NOW: prevent deportation of union leader in South Korean

Solidarity with Korean workers

Prevent the deportation of Michel Catuira

March 2011

The TUC and Amnesty International UK have launched an urgent online action to prevent the imminent deportation of the President of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union (MTU) Michel Catuira from South Korea.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to the South Korean Ambassador to voice the TUC's concerns and ask the Korean Government to immediately prevent his deportation and respect the trade union rights of migrant workers.

Michel Catuira is a 38-year-old Filipino national and President of MTU. The Korean Immigration Service told him that he must leave the country by 7 March or he would become undocumented and subject to forcible deportation. On 2 March the Seoul 12th Administrative Court issued a temporary injunction against the forcible deportation. However, the injunction will apply only until MTU's appeal case against the cancellation of his visa status has been decided. Therefore, he remains at risk of deportation, and is in urgent need of international support.

Read background information on Michel Catuira, and for further information on the violation of trade union rights in South Korea, see the ITUC Annual Survey on Violations

14 March 2011

His Excellency Mr HE Choo Kyu Ho

Ambassador

Embassy of the Republic of Korea

Dear Ambassador

Michel Catuira, President of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union (MTU) in South Korea

The TUC is the voice of Britain at work, with over 6 million members organised in 55 trade unions. We are particularly concerned about the treatment by your government of Michel Catuira, who leads the MTU and has been a stalwart defender of migrant workers in South Korea.

We understand that the Immigration Service told him that he must leave the country by 7 March or he would become undocumented and subject to forcible deportation. On 2 March the Seoul 12th Administrative Court issued a temporary injunction against the forcible deportation. However, the injunction will apply only until MTU's appeal case against the cancellation of his visa status has been decided. Therefore, he remains at risk of deportation.

The TUC believes he has been targeted for his role in the MTU, which is part of the KCTU, one of the two International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) affiliates in South Korea. We are aware that this tactic has been used before by the Korean Government against migrant workers' leaders, and we deplore it.

I would be grateful if you could convey to your government our deep concerns about the action taken in this case, and let them know that we urge your government to:

respect the injunction to halt all immigration measures while Michel Catuira's appeal is being heard, restoring his permission to change workplace and visa status and refraining from executing his deportation order;

immediately stop all practices which result in obstacles or deterrents to actively participating in trade unions; and

immediately remove obstacles to participating in the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union (MTU), in particular by recognising its status as a legal union in South Korea in line with domestic and international law and standards.

I would be grateful if you could let me have a report on this case. We will be alerting the Foreign Secretary to this breach of human rights in South Korea, and making our position public.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER