Search Warrant Issued for KCTU

With collective transport rejection of the Cargo Solidarity, an affiliate of the Cargo Transportation Workers` Union (CTWU), continuing for a week, concerns of conflicts are surfacing as the police decided on August 27 to search the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU)`s office, where the cargo solidarity leaders are currently staging a demonstration.

The Seoul District Court issued a seizure and search warrant for the police, and over 400 policemen are deployed near the headquarters of the KCTU in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The warrant is known to be valid until September 2.

The police are already searching the KCTU headquarters in Busan, where the warrant had been issued before.

To confront the police force, the cargo solidarity deployed hundreds of people to defend itself near the KCTU office, therefore the conflict between the labor and the government seems inevitable.

Since the demonstration has calmed down, and considering that executing the warrant will give rise to strong opposition from the labor, including the KCTU, the police is expected to be cautious in deciding the date of warrant execution.

However, due to President Roh`s demand to respond toughly, majority of the police expect that the search will take place soon.

The cargo solidarity decided to cease the open demonstration, where members wait at homes, and to conduct outdoors meeting alongside. Also, the solidarity said that if the government continues the oppression, such as taking the leaders into custody and punishing solidarity members, they would mobilize vehicles and shift to an aggressive struggle.

Accordingly, 1000 or so members from Gyeongin and Chungcheong branches of the cargo solidarity are gathering at the KCTU headquarters, and Busan, North Chungcheong Jecheon, South Jeolla Gwangyang, North Kyeongsang Pohang branches held assemblies individually.

However, as increasing number of truckers are returning to their jobs, after the government`s due return time limit (26th, midnight), logistics is gradually becoming normalized.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy reported that 1459 BCT truckers (79%) out of 1848 have returned to work by due time. The percentage of container truckers who returned to work has increased to 37%, as of August 27.

Consequently, cement shipment, which dropped to 60% of normal times, rose back to over 93%, and the number of containers moving in and out of major ports such as Busan port and Gwangyang port, and Gyeonggi Inland Container Depot recovered 70 to 80% of their usual amount.

The cement and the cement transport sector declared on August 27 that the illegal transport rejection campaign of the cargo solidarity in the BCT sector that began on the 21st became powerless, and cement transport has completely normalized.

The list of the names of the truckers who did not come back to work will be reported to the government and returnees will be signing new contracts that grant additional 200 thousand to 300 thousand won to their monthly real income, starting from 26th, as promised.

The Ministry of Construction and Transportation initially planned not to provide subsidy on fuel tax to truckers who failed to return by midnight, but has decided to grant subsidies to the members of cargo solidarity who notified that they would return to work by that time.