Korean trucker strike losing to Yoon's hard-line tactics

Industry

Published: 04 Dec. 2022, 15:16

Korean trucker strike losing to Yoon's hard-line tactics

A sign reads that there could be problems in supply due to the truckers' strike at a gas station in on a highway heading north of Seoul on Nov. 30, 2022. [YONHAP]

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's hard-line stance against striking truckers seems to be working, with many truckers back on the job and those still taking action toning down their provocations.

The second round of negotiations between the government and Cargo Truckers Solidarity ended after a mere 40 minutes of discussion as the officials of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation walked out of the negotiation room on Nov. 30.

The two parties did not set a date for the third round of negotiations.

It is unusual for the government to walk away from negotiations.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated through a spokesperson before the negotiations that the ministry had “come to the discussions to request a return to work.” If there is no return to work by the truckers on strike, there will also be no discussions on the demands made – this is the transport ministry’s and the government’s line.

Cargo Truckers Solidarity came to the second round of negotiations with a set of demands less tough than their initial demands, but the government was skeptical that this new version would be very different. The trucker union first demanded that the so-called freight charge system be made permanent and that the types of cargo that the system covers be expanded.

“It would have just been a slight reduction in the number of items which the freight charge system covers,” said a high-ranking government official regarding the revised demands. “If we give into every single one of these demands to try to resolve the situation, illegal acts during strikes will repeat themselves.”

The possibility of no talks happening at all was also thrown on the table.

“The union is distorting the content of our discussions to the press and using that as a way to gain justification by delaying and interfering with law enforcement,” said Won Hee-ryong, transport minister. “We will not discuss with the union any further.”

A government official holds up a printed copy of the executive order issued by President Yoon Suk-yeol for striking truckers to return to work at the Sejong government complex on Nov. 29. [YONAHP]

The presidential office went one step further. Following the issuance of an executive order for truckers transporting cement on Nov. 29, Yoon's office went on to formally review additional executive orders for truckers of oil, containers and steel.

Yoon’s office even hinted at a possibility of abolishing the freight charge system altogether, which was set to be in place for the next three years.

If this situation persists, cargo transport would grind to a halt at the worst possible time. With the scale of losses in industrial sites already snowballing, logistics may be paralyzed.

Previous governments have tried to appeasing the workers. The Yoon administration does not seem to have any intention of backing down.

“We could go even stronger on this, not less,” said an official from the presidential office. This is the strongest stance that an administration has taken on a union strike.

Cargo Truckers Solidarity has been unable to come up with any alternative measures other than to maintain the current refusal to work.

“If things continue in this way, the union could be cornered,” said a labor relations expert who requested anonymity. “The key is whether the ranks formed within the union when the strike began can be maintained.”

The number of truckers back at the wheel doubled on Thursday from the day before, according to government reports, after the executive order had been issued.

“The number of returnees on Dec. 1 twice exceed that from the previous day,” said a high-ranking government official. “There are many truckers who return after receiving a letter of service.”

If they fail to comply with an executive order to return to work, they could face the cancellation of their permit to transport cargo. It's uncertain whether the union will be able to ultimately get its demands met when the government is taking such a hard line.

From the perspective of individual truckers, if the refusal to transport is prolonged, worries about making a living and paying monthly fees and living expenses are inevitable.

Members of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity shout slogans in front of the Daehan Oil Pipeline Corporation building in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on Nov. 30, 2022. [YONHAP]

Such concerns prompted some truckers to back off.

“The number of illegal acts has dramatically decreased to the point where it seems like they have almost disappeared,” said an official from the National Police Agency. “It’s just a few trucks here and there swearing through loudspeakers and making noise while driving, but even these stop when police are dispatched. It seems that the fear of having their licenses revoked is driving this dejectedness.”

Some experts observe that even if the strike is prolonged, the scale of damage could decrease.

“If the number of truckers who return to work increases, we can move toward normalization of the industry and economy albeit slowly,” said an economics professor who requested anonymity.

As in the case of the HiteJinro strike last June, there is a possibility that the current situation could switch to sporadic refusals to transport cargo at various different business sites.

In the midst of all this, the KCTU declared a general strike on Dec. 6. But the government doesn’t seem too concerned about this.

“The KCTU guaranteed strikes at individual businesses,” said a high-ranking government official. “Right now, the priority is to sort out the trucker situation.”

KCTU Chief Yang Kyung-soo said that the unions under KCTU will strike “where we have the right to strike.”

The comment means that the union intends to execute the right at business sites where conditions for strike are met. Mediation between management and union, voting by union members and reporting of the results of the vote have to be carried out and completed prior to the strike for one to be legal under Korean law.

Yang’s claim is seen as an expression of intentions to fight within the lines drawn by the law. Considering the fierce struggles the KCTU has shown in previous years, this is a significant change in stance.

“If the government responds to the trucker strike strictly based on the law and principles, it is likely that strikes in other sectors could be negotiated smoothly using the trucker strike as a focal point,” said an official from the presidential office. “How the trucker strike is resolved will serve as a grounds for labor-management relations in the future.”

BY KIM KI-CHAN,LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]