Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Khmer Daily Cambodia News
34 °c
Phnom Penh
  • LATEST
  • CAMBODIA
  • ASIA
    • JAPAN
    • SOUTH KOREA
    • TAIWAN
  • WORLD
    • CHINA
    • RUSSIA
  • BUSINESS CAMBODIA
  • TECHNOLOGY
No Result
View All Result
  • LATEST
  • CAMBODIA
  • ASIA
    • JAPAN
    • SOUTH KOREA
    • TAIWAN
  • WORLD
    • CHINA
    • RUSSIA
  • BUSINESS CAMBODIA
  • TECHNOLOGY
No Result
View All Result
The Khmer Daily
No Result
View All Result
Home ASIA South Korea

South Korean truckers vote to return to work, ending strike for minimum wage protections

December 10, 2022
in ASIA, South Korea
0
South Korean truckers vote to return to work, ending strike for minimum wage protections
0
SHARES
7
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SEOUL — As their walkout entered its third week, South Korean truckers realised their bid to widen and make permanent a government scheme on minimum freight rates was failing as public support waned and President Yoon Suk-yeol refused to budge.

Many businesses prepared for the strike, which began Nov 24, and were ready to weather short-term pain. And as the government increased pressure — including unprecedented “start work” orders — some of the 25,000 striking truckers headed back to work this week, facing the prospect of not only lost income but lost jobs, drivers told Reuters.

On Friday (Dec 9), the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union said that 62 per cent of union members voted to call off the strike to return to work but that the union would continue its minimum wage campaign.

“The game is over. It is so sad that all we could do is stop our cars, but nothing has changed,” said Kang Myung-gil, a container truck driver who came back to work on Monday after a two-week walkout.

“The union fell into a trap that the government buried,” said Kang, who is not a union driver, referring to the government narrative that the strike is devastating the country’s economy. “Then, we, living day by day, just have to accept the reality and move on.”

After the strike ended, Yoon’s press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, said the government would “unwaveringly abide by laws and principles” on labour issues, adding that the truckers’ action had caused “astronomical damage” to the economy.

This summer, an eight-day strike by truckers delayed cargo shipments from cars to cement across Asia’s fourth-largest economy before it ended with each side claiming it had won concessions.

But this time, the government rejected the union’s bid to expand minimum protections to other kinds of cargo, including oil tankers, package delivery trucks and auto carries, saying drivers are already well-paid. The government has said it would only extend the current wage programme for three more years.

The difference was that Yoon took a harder line than in the first strike, and South Korean industries were willing to suffer short-term losses to keep operations running.

Yoon ordered some drivers back to work, using never-before invoked powers under a 2004 law, compared strikers to North Korea’s nuclear threat and declined to engage with union representatives.

After a start-work order was issued on Nov 29, traffic at ports began recovering to normal levels, government data shows.

There was no panic buying of gasoline, as most of about 11,000 petrol stations had enough supplies.

A major tyre maker preemptively cleared factory space to store inventory in advance of the strike, a company official said, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Refineries paid truckers more than double through agents to keep supplies flowing, and temporary workers were hired to get finished Hyundai and Kia cars to local customers, drivers and a transport ministry official said.

Striking drivers such as Kang criticised the union’s leadership for not pushing for more during the first strike in June.

“Our union leaders shouldn’t have walked away without any firm agreement in June. They didn’t see their counterpart could change completely this time, but just left their own people bleeding out,” said a unionised fuel tank driver, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Meanwhile, Yoon’s hard line on labour has accompanied a rise in his approval rating since the strike began, according to recent data.

A poll released on Thursday by polling firm Gongjung showed the president’s approval rating had jumped by more than nine percentage points to 41.5 per cent.

“Yoon’s tough stance won the hearts of some elderly conservatives that have long been antagonistic about labour unions,” said Kim Mi-hyun, head of pollster R&Search.

Businesses are also likely to welcome Yoon’s handling of the strike, which could help them keep costs flat when margins are under pressure, analysts added.

“If the government continues to deal with labour issues the way it did with this strike, that would help companies reduce risk,” said Kim Dong-one, a business professor at Korea University.

This article was first published in Asia One . All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.

Tags: #Economy#Labour issues#Low-wage workers#Minimum wage#protestsSouth Korea
Previous Post

Indonesia’s new laws a threat to privacy, press and human rights, says UN

Next Post

Tibetan glaciers face multiple threats from South Asia air pollution

Related Posts

North Korea claims almost 800,000 people have signed up for military to fight against US

North Korea claims almost 800,000 people have signed up for military to fight against US

by AsiaOne
March 18, 2023
0
6

SEOUL — North Korea claims that about 800,000 of its citizens volunteered to join or reenlist in the nation's military to fight...

China’s tech giant Baidu unveils “Ernie” the Chinese answer to AI chatbot technology like ChatGPT and GPT4

China’s tech giant Baidu unveils “Ernie” the Chinese answer to AI chatbot technology like ChatGPT and GPT4

by CBS News
March 18, 2023
0
10

Beijing — Days after popular artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT's developer OpenAI released its latest version, GPT4, Chinese tech giant Baidu, best...

Japanese and South Korean businesses seek to leave behind difficult history

Japanese and South Korean businesses seek to leave behind difficult history

by AsiaOne
March 18, 2023
0
3

TOKYO/SEOUL - Business leaders from Japan and South Korea pledged on Friday (March 17) to work more closely on chips and...

Most Popular

Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua release New Zealand hostage video

Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua release New Zealand hostage video

March 12, 2023
20
Biden speaks with California governor about Silicon Valley Bank: White House

Biden speaks with California governor about Silicon Valley Bank: White House

March 12, 2023
19
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappearance: New Netflix series dives into mystery of vanished jet

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappearance: New Netflix series dives into mystery of vanished jet

March 12, 2023
16
Chea Serey is the new Deputy Governor of National Bank of Cambodia

Chea Serey is the new Deputy Governor of National Bank of Cambodia

March 12, 2023
13
Meta must face trial over AI trade secrets, judge says

Meta must face trial over AI trade secrets, judge says

March 8, 2023
13
New Siem Reap Airport, Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, construction 63 percent complete

New Siem Reap Airport, Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, construction 63 percent complete

March 4, 2023
13

© 2020 By Khmer Daily News

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Cambodia
  • ASIA
  • World
  • Business
  • Tech

© 2019 The Khmer Daily.

error: Content is protected !!