SIMIC

The 25,000 drivers of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union are demanding a minimum wage system to manage the relentless increase in fuel prices.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MoLIT) said container movement at major ports today totaled just 14,695 TEU, compared with the usual 36,655 TEU.

In Pohang, a major industrial area, incoming and outgoing shipments were delayed, including an 8,000-tonne shipment from Hyundai Steel.

The government said it was preparing military trucks for emergency transport if major manufacturers were unable to receive supplies.

Tanker trailer drivers are also involved in the latest strike and the Korea Oil Station Association has asked fuel station operators to prepare sufficient inventory so vehicles can still be fueled.

The latest strike an eight-day sit-in that was resolved after MoLIT extended the Safe Trucking Freight Rates System by three years. It was introduced in 2020, during the first wave of Covid, to ensure minimum wages and prevent overwork and dangerous driving.

And as well as a minimum wage, the truckers want the Safe Trucking Freight Rates System to be permanent.

The previous strike cost the South Korean economy an estimated US$1.2 billion, as manufacturers were unable to receive components.

The government is sticking to its pledge of only extending the Safe Trucking Freight Rates System and has steadfastly refused to acquiesce to the truckers' demand for a minimum wage.