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| Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) protest against the presidential executive order signed on Tuesday to force unionized truckers to return to work at its headquarters in Seoul's Jung District, Wednesday. Yonhap |
Strikes mushroom in response to gov't hardline approach
By Lee Hae-rin
Tensions between the government and unionized truckers of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity (CTS) are intensifying without any end in sight as the union declared a nationwide collective action in response to the government's hardline approach on the eighth day of the group's general strike, Thursday.
In response to the government's executive order to force unionized truckers to return to work, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said, Wednesday, that it will hold a national laborers' convention in Seoul and Busan on Saturday and stage a nationwide mass rally marking a general strike next Tuesday.
The KCTU held an emergency meeting with its central executive committee, Wednesday, and declared the government's executive order to force unionized truckers to return to work, "violates people's fundamental rights" and is, "unconstitutional violence that incapacitates labor's three primary rights." The union said that its sub-organization CTS' strike is a "fight of the entire union that must come to a victory."
Earlier on Wednesday, the government and representatives of the unionized truckers sat down for a second round of negotiations at Sejong Government Complex at 2 p.m. Talking turned to shouting within ten minutes and the 40-minute meeting ended without any breakthrough.
Both the government and the unions reiterated their previous positions and failed to resolve any differences. The government insisted on extending the minimum freight rate system for three years and refused to expand items that are applicable to the system. The unionized truckers, on the other hand, demanded perpetuating the system while expanding the applicable items.
Both parties left the room without setting up a date for further talks.
The government is adamant that no further talks will be held unless the truckers end the strike. It further added pressure on the union by saying that it is even considering abolishing the minimum freight rate system.
After the two parties' second round of negotiations, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong said during a meeting with the press that the ministry is "reviewing the (minimum freight rate) system" and could "consider the matter from various angles (including its abolishment)."
However, the ministry is still willing to advance the country's transportation business structure and improve truckers' working conditions, the minister explained.
Within a day the government signed an executive order to force striking truckers, who drive cement trailers, to return to work on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the ministry said it could even expand the executive order to truckers carrying other items including oil, steel and bulk containers. Truckers who refuse to comply with the executive order without a convincing reason are subject to the suspension of their license, a three-year jail term and fines of up to 30 million won ($22,600).
The ministry said it could also end fuel subsidies to truckers and will consider suing the CTS for damages.
While the labor dispute between the unions and the government intensifies, experts believe the country needs public discussions on the logistics issue and to reach a consensus on building a sustainable transportation system.
Yu Jeong-whon, a professor of Transportation System Engineering at Ajou University told The Korea Times, Thursday, that the years-old confrontation between the government and the truckers union has been "strangely focused on the matter of safety" since the previous Moon Jae-in administration, while the fundamental problem is about the pricing system of logistics.
"(Both parties) could delay (the confrontation) for about six months," the professor said, "There needs to be enough discussion and a consensus needs to be reached on logistics first. Then we see a negotiation about the appropriate pricing level, and whether tax money could be used in this transportation system."
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