S.Korea union truckers continue strike, talks at a standstill

Multimedia 11:37 12 Jun, 2022

South Korea union truckers continue strike, talks at a standstill

S.Korea union truckers continue strike, talks at a standstill

South Korean truckers were on strike for a sixth day on Sunday after talks with the government failed to make progress over their demands for higher pay, crippling cargo transport at the country's industrial hubs and major ports.

Qazet.az reports that transport ministry officials met for more than 10 hours with union leaders on Saturday for a third round of negotiations, urging them to return to work, but the two sides failed to narrow their differences, the ministry said.

A union official said he did not know whether talks would continue. The ministry said it will continue to hold talks with the union, without elaborating.

The truckers demand an extension of subsidies, set to expire this year, that guarantee minimum wages as fuel prices rise.

A combined statement from a total of 31 industry associations on Sunday urged truckers to end their strike and return to work, as bottlenecks are building up across cement, petrochemical, steel, auto and IT component sectors.

"This lengthening strike by the Cargo Solidarity is nothing more than putting up a fight in an extreme way by holding national logistics as a hostage, even as the government has said it will find a way for an inclusive growth through talks," according to a statement from associations representing employers, taxis, semiconductors, automobiles and others.

About 40 people have been arrested in the strike, some of them later released. The actions have been largely peaceful, though tense at some locations.

Container traffic at Busan port, which accounts for 80% of the nation's total, had plunged by two-thirds from normal levels on Friday, a government official said.

At Incheon port it has fallen 80%, while at the port for Ulsan, the industrial hub where much of the strike action has occurred, container traffic has been halted since Tuesday.