By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Dump truck and cement mixer drivers joined the cargo truckers' strike Monday, bringing operations at manufacturing and construction workplaces across the country to near paralysis.
In response the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs has been in serious talks with truckers and shippers to normalize operations.
``We sympathize with the workers. We also understand that it is a bread-and-butter issue and that there is a clear law guaranteeing their rights. We are trying our best to seek a compromise as soon as possible,'' Gwon Hyeok-tae, a labor ministry official said.
More than 22,000 members of the Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions laid down their tools at nearly 90 percent of sites nationwide.
Truckers urged their contractors to shoulder fuel bills and provide welfare benefits through the revision of contracts and asked the government to mediate negotiations on a freight fee readjustment between drivers and users.
The members of the construction industry federation said they would not return to work until their demands were met.
``The more we drive and work the more we lose money. There is no alternative,'' Oh Taek-hee, the spokesman of the union said.
As the walk out reduces cargo traffic to as low as 18 percent of full operations, the government is considering issuing return orders to 13,433 vehicle owners.
Under the revised law, the government can issue the order if the truckers' strike is deemed as causing serious damage to the economy. If it is issued and they refuse to return to work, they will be sanctioned, including a maximum 3-year jail term, fine and cancellation of their license.
About 14,000 construction workers led rallies in central Seoul calling for their right to live.
The price of diesel jumped to around 2,000 won per litter from 900 won in 2004, but freight costs have remained unchanged, they say.
Their walkout has already slowed construction. The delivery of materials to construction sites is being delayed as 43 percent of dump truck drivers remain on strike for a fourth day.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
