Drivers on strike in South Korea may be compelled to return to work under a new government order. President Yoon Suk-yeol is planning to issue a further executive order to force drivers to end the strike.
An executive order has already been issued to cement-truck drivers. However, compliance has been poor despite potential fines, licence suspension and even imprisonment. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union (CSTU) has so far refused to yield to government demands to return to work.
As a result, the president is looking to extend the executive order to truckers delivering petroleum products and steel.
The government is not giving in to the truckers’ demands that the Safe Trucking Freight Rates System (STFRS), introduced in 2020, be made permanent. The 12-day strike has become increasingly confrontational, leading the president to regard the truckers as a serious threat. This is the second dispute of 2022, with an eight-day strike in June.
“If we bow to illegal actions and violence, the vicious cycle will continue.” President Yoon
The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) is backing the government’s position, expressing concerns that the STFRS has made logistics more expensive. The Korea Shipping Association (KSA) and the Korea International Freight Forwarders Association (KIFFA) have joined KITA in urging the truckers to end the strike. They are urging the government to take sterner action.