Around a thousand South Korean transport workers staged a sit-in in Seoul on Saturday to reiterate their demand for better wages and job security despite the suspension on Friday of the sector’s strike that paralyzed the country for two weeks.
The protesters are members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, who justified the suspension of the strike as a measure for the good of the employees, reports the official South Korean news agency Yonhap.
«The struggle has ended in paisa to protect the unstable industry that is logistics, and to minimize the damage caused to workers, according to union leader Lee Bong Joo, referring to the order issued by the government to return to work, the rejection of which could have led to heavy fines.
After learning of the new order, the Freight Truckers Solidarity Union decided to hold a vote on Friday that resulted in nearly 62 percent voting in favor of ending the work stoppage. Previously, the union branch at Busan Port, one of the country’s most important ports, had already decided to suspend the strike without a vote.
The orders of the South Korean government, which has been forced for the first time to resort to this regulation since the enactment of the corresponding law in 2004, have been supported by the opposition Democratic Party.
However, according to the official Yonhap news agency, some truckers have lamented the existence of a regulation they consider unconstitutional: the law prohibits strikes without justified reasons, but never clarifies what reasons it would accept as valid.
In fact, labor associations in the country have asked the International Labor Organization (ILO) to review whether the Government’s order violates employees’ basic rights. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has confirmed that the UN agency sent a letter on behalf of Corinne Vargha, its director of international labor standards, requesting that the South Korean government clarify its position on the dispute.
The second transport strike in less than six months, following the one declared by cement truckers, has cost the South Korean government some $2.6 billion (about 2.4 billion euros).
The protesters demanded an indefinite extension of the so-called Freight Rate System for Safe Freight Transportation, which guarantees minimum wages, crucial for safety and financial stability in the face of rising fuel prices.
