Bread & Butter Issues Unsettle Society
Truckers Call for Fuel Costs Cut
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Truckers went on strike across the country Friday to demand state compensation for rising fuel costs.
The truckers are urging the government to lower diesel oil prices, to raise freight and to guarantee a minimum wage.
They started a walkout in protest against the government's offer to finance half of the oil price hike that has more than doubled to 2,000 won per litter from 900 won in 2004. They complained freight has remained the same.
The strike means more agony for the embattled President Lee Myung-bak, who has been under considerable pressure to guarantee the safety of American beef through "renegotiation."
Police vowed to arrest any striking truckers who use violence against their non-striking colleagues.
A total of 5,700 riot police were deployed to major ports to stop strikers and non-strikers from clashing.
About 35 percent of the total 13,000 members of the Korea Cargo Transport Workers' Federation (KCTWF) joined the walkout.
This number accounts for only 4 percent of all commercial vehicle drivers, but many of those striking drivers play a crucial role in land transportation for export goods.
If the strike lasts for more than three days, the country will encounter difficulty in shipping export items on schedule.
Military trucks, extra trains, individual trucks and other logistical vehicles were employed to fill in the delivery gaps.
The government also suspended the 288 won per liter oil subsidy for striking truckers.
"The government has tried hard to settle the matter and lessen the financial burden of the workers. We deeply regret that the strike took place," Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said at a Cabinet meeting.
"We assume damage from the strike will be around 128 billion won a day.
The logistical 'crisis' will be a huge burden for many people," he added.
The strike is indeed affecting logistics nationwide. In Incheon and Busan ports, hundreds of containers are piled up at warehouses, waiting to be carried to vessels.
"If the strike goes on for more than three days, I think Busan Port will be in serious trouble," Yonhap News quoted an executive of Busan Container Terminal.
In Busan, non-union drivers outnumbered the unionized members and other regions are showing similar signs, too.