Ready-mixed concrete transport union strike begins

As the Remicon Transport Workers' Union within Federation of Korean Trade Unions went on strike on Friday, the Remicon plants in the Seoul metropolitan area stopped operation again after a fortnight. It has been a month since the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union ended the strike. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a large-scale rally in downtown Seoul on Saturday, signaling the labor unions’ summer strike in full swing.

　

Remicon Transport Workers' Union held a rally with an aim to defend the right to survive in front of Dongwha Duty Free Shop in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Saturday, demanding an increase in transportation fees reflecting the inflation. About 90 percent (roughly 7,500 people) of Remicom borrowers in the metropolitan area are members of the Remicon Transport Workers' Union. The union announced that it will go on a general strike (refusal of transport) next week if it could not reach an agreement with the management over the weekend.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is scheduled to hold a national workers' rally in downtown Seoul on Saturday, where 60,000 union members will gather. This is the first large-scale rally led by the General Federation since the inauguration of the new administration. The Federation of Metal Workers' Trade Unions within the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is also preparing for a general strike in the middle of this month.


Dong-Jin Shin shine@donga.com