By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The government said Tuesday it will not accept any additional demands from striking cargo truck drivers and warned it will take stern action against any illegal labor activities.
The warning came along with a set of administrative measures to help ease troubles facing truckers due to soaring fuel costs.
It made clear that it will not acknowledge independent cargo haulers as ``laborers,'' meaning that they have no right to launch a strike. Many unionized truck drivers own their vehicles independently and are categorized as ``self-employed'' under the Labor Law.
``Truck drivers are making demands such as the guarantee of basic labor rights that are not acceptable,'' the government said in a statement after an emergency meeting of related ministries. ``We have reached a point where we can't negotiate further. We can't accept any additional demands.''
As part of an aid package, the government said it will spend 100 billion won ($100 million) to buy 3,600 trucks to help ease the glut on the market by the end of the year. It will cut the number of container transport trucks to 17,400 by the end of 2009.
It will also spend 50 billion won in subsidies for truckers to convert their diesel engine trucks into liquefied natural gas (LNG) ones ― LNG is 30-40 percent cheaper.
Smaller-scale vehicles ― less than 10-ton- trucks ― will get additional highway toll discounts, which is expected to benefit at least 3 million drivers.
Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han has defined the walkout as illegal.
Truckers were striking for a fifth straight day, while dump truck and other construction-related vehicle drivers are also refusing to return to work for a second day.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) ― one of the country's two largest labor umbrella groups said it will stage a one-day general strike on July 2 to protest the resumption of American beef imports.
KCTU officials said the walkout will be as big as last year's anti Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) protest during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
July will be a pivotal period for the progressive labor group as some 40,000 members will also hold large-scale rallies between July 3-5 in Seoul, its Chairman Lee Seok-haeng said Tuesday.
``All members will down their tools for a day and call for the government to accept our demands including the scrapping of the American beef deal, the privatization of public corporations and the cross-country water-way project; as well as producing countermeasures against soaring oil prices,'' he said.
It said 70 percent of its 630,000 members backed the walkout. However, the most influential Hyundai Motor Union has not yet decided to join what it views as a ``political'' strike. The largest automobile union was unable to get half of all its 45,000 union members to vote to join the strike.
The Korean Metal Workers Union, the Korean Federation of Public Service and Transportation Workers' Union and the Korea Health & Medical Workers' Union, all affiliates of the confederation, will start wage negotiations with management from July 3.