Protesters chant slogans at a news conference in support of the ongoing strike by truckers in Seoul, South Korea on December 5, 2022. A nationwide strike by Republic of Korea truckers has led nearly 100 petrol stations across the country to run dry, government data show, and a national trade union said it would launch a general strike on Tuesday in support of drivers.
The truckers' strike over a minimum pay program has seen two negotiations between the union and the government, but so far there has not been a breakthrough.
The ROK government has stepped up pressure to end the strike, as supplies of fuel and construction materials run low.
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On Sunday, President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered preparations to issue a return-to-work order for drivers in sectors such as oil refining and steelmaking, where additional economic damage is expected to be done. Yoon called an order last week, the first in the country's history, for 2,500 truckers in the cement industry.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions KCTU, an umbrella union under which the truckers' union falls, has called the President's start work order the equivalent of martial law and says the government should negotiate.
The KCTU planned a walkout on Tuesday to support the truckers' protests.
Nearly 100 petrol stations had run out of fuel by the end of the day. According to Korea National Oil Corp data, about 60% of them were located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province, a densely populated region near the capital. The industry ministry had said 21 petrol stations were out of fuel on Nov 28.
Due to the nationwide strike by truckers, finished vehicles are parked and waiting to be delivered at an airport in Gwangju, South Korea on December 5, 2022. As many as 25,000 truckers are calling for a minimum-pay system like the Safe Freight Rate, which was introduced in 2020 for a small portion of more than 400,000 truckers, as a result of soaring fuel costs.
In their second strike in less than six months, the truckers are fighting the bitter cold and the government says they are well paid labor aristocracy The Yoon administration has said it will not give up to the demands of the union. The government has said it will extend the program for three more years.
Han Sang-jin, a KCTU spokeswoman, said the impact of a general strike is unclear and depends on participation.
Labor minister Lee Jung-sik said that a general strike would not win the support of the public.
The strikes have disrupted ROK's supply chain, costing more than 3.2 trillion won $2.46 billion in lost shipments over the first 10 days, the industry ministry said on Sunday.
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Since the back-to-order was issued, traffic at ports has increased to 69% of its pre-strike average, according to the government.