Strike with Hundreds of Cargo Trucks, Causing Traffic Obstruction

▽Fierce Response = The Cargo Transport Workers` Unionists mobilized hundreds of container trucks on Sep,2, and by driving slowly or illegally parking their vehicles in major roads to Busan port, they obstructed the flow of traffic

Gyonggi and Chungchung regional office members of the Cargo Transport Workers` union fled after parking their motors in front of the front door of Gyonggi Euwang ICD (inland container depot) on Sep. 1 and on Sep. 2, they tried to enter Euwang ICD with around 150 trucks at 11a.m.

Also from 1 a.m. on Sep. 2, around 180 unionists tried to stage the strike with their trucks in the downtown Seoul by crossing Hannam bridge, Gayang bridge and Songsan bridge, but were stopped by the police.

The police acquired information that there will be a truck strike at 11p.m. on Sep. 1, and by intensively deploying the police force, towing trucks and key makers in major tollgates and logistics hubs, successfully suppressed the strike.

▽Declaration on strong resistance= The Cargo Transport Workers` Union announce that, “We will continue the truck strike until all our demands are met, resisting to the heavy handed response of the government,” on Sep.2 by releasing a press article titled `Oppression brings about resistance.`

The Union also added that “The strikes we staged on Sep. 1 and 2 were just `the tip of the iceberg` and we will no longer stick to peaceful and legal measures.”

Secretary of the union Chung Ho-hwi said, “we can not control the demand (to respond strongly) from our members as the government indiscriminately took laborers to the police station and openly sided with `the capital`”

▽Background and prospect of the current situation = The tough stance by the Cargo Transport Workers` Union seems to be a desperate countermeasure to resolve the current situation, in which many of its members are dropping out of the union. So far, the Cargo Transport Workers` Union used peaceful measures to reject cargo delivery.

However, as the strike got prolonged, the negotiation with the government severed, and many members are deserting the union.

Some regional executives of the union who participated at the rally held in Yeouido Seoul on Sep.1, called for resolutions on the part of the executive body, saying, “We cannot blindly continue to reject. I would rather stage a truck strike.” Thus, complains inside the group is getting greater.

The forward pressure by the police seems to be effective as well. The police eavesdropped TRS (Terminology Reference System), which is the main communications tool among the executives and members of the union, with a warrant, and blocked their communication channels.

It once again declared seizure and search policy on the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions office, while arresting some extreme activists of each local branch offices.

One police official said, “Leaders of the union warn that there will be disastrous logistics crisis during the harvest festival of Korea next week, but they should be ready to suffer massive public criticism,” and also added, “this crisis seems to mark the peak of the current strike.”