Tower crane operators end strike over unmanned cranes

Tower crane operators halted their strikes against the rising use of unmanned cranes at 5 p.m. Wednesday as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced it will form a joint committee to resolve the issue.

The committee will consist of the ministry, construction companies, civic groups and two major umbrella labor groups - the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) - that started a nationwide strike.

Tower crane workers of the FKTU and the KCTU started occupying 2,500 out of 3,000 tower cranes across the country Monday, demanding better safety standards and policies with a 7 to 8 percent increase in wages. Officials said earlier those groups were protesting as they viewed unmanned cranes as a threat to their job security.

By Ko Jun-tae