▲ Shipyard workers belonging to the Shipbuilding Industry Trade Union Solidarity perform a symbolic play arresting the culprits who ruined the shipbuilding industry at a rally organized on February 23 to call for the halt of restructuring in front of the Government Complex in Seoul where the Financial Services Commission is located.(Jeong Ki-hoon)

As the recession in the shipbuilding industry continues, it is estimated that the big three shipbuilding companies of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering(DSME), Samsung Heavy Industries(SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries(HHI) shed about 6,000 jobs, most of them are white color jobs, due to the personnel restructuring last year.

This year, DSME plans to layoff 2,000 workers and SHI to dismiss 1,800. HHI currently under the business spin-off process may transfer some 5,000 workers to the new affiliates.

Amid the unionized regular workers' resistance against the personnel restructuring at the big three shipbuilding companies, a massive number of contingent workers of the subcontractors were dismissed helplessly. Last year alone, about 24,000 contingent workers of the subcontractor companies to DSME and HHI lost their jobs, due to the company closure or the contract termination.

This year, it is anticipated that the situation will be getting deteriorated. According to the Shipbuilding Industry Trade Union Solidarity, additional 30,000 contingent subcontracted workers in the big three will be retrenched this year.

The small and medium sized shipbuilding companies were hit even harder. ShinaSB and 21st Century Shipbuilding have already closed down their business, incapable of overcoming the management crisis. Other companies like Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, SPP Shipbuilding and Daehan Shipbuilding face the dearth of shipbuilding orders which will be exhausted within the first half of this year.

reported by Je Jeong-nam
translated by Kim Sung-jin

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