Strikes amid economic gloom
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is threatening to hold a series of large strikes, vowing to expand labor rights. At a press conference held in front of the National Assembly on Tuesday, the KCTU, one of the country’s two umbrella labor organizations, called for the enactment of an additional law to prevent fatal accidents at construction sites and extending the freight rates system to guarantee the basic wages of truckers.
The KCTU-affiliated Cargo Truckers Solidarity is expected to go on a strike today, followed by the unions of contracted school and public service workers Friday. The unionized workers of the Seoul Metro and the Korea Railroad Corp. could also walk out next week. If the string of strikes take place on schedule, another round of logistical disruptions is unavoidable at a time when our economy is in the throes of a serious decline.
The strike threat by truckers, in particular, is more worrisome as the damage from their walkout in June reached nearly 2 trillion won ($1.47 billion). At the time, cargo drivers grounded their trucks for eight days, demanding an extension of the safe trucking freight rates system. This system was introduced as a three-year scheme in 2020 and is about to end this year. The transport ministry agreed in June to discuss making the system permanent on the condition that the union stops the strike. But there has been little progress in their talks since then.
The government and the ruling People Power Party met Tuesday to stave off the looming strike. They reportedly decided to push for the extension of the freight charge system for another three years, but not to accept the union’s demand that the system be expanded to more types of cargo from the current containers and cement.
What’s certain is that this is no time for strikes. The ailing Korean economy might come apart at the seams if the strikes cause serious problems. The government should do whatever it can to seek common ground, maintaining its channels of communication with unionized workers.