Growing Damage to Paris Baguette Franchise Owners, Is There Justification for the Cargo Union Strike?

Franchise Owners Appeal for Survival Rights Threatened
Cargo Solidarity Union to Hold Rally with 600 Participants on the 30th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] As the nationwide strike by the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters of the Public Transport Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which delivers bread and ingredients to Paris Baguette stores, prolongs, concerns are rising that the justification for the strike is being distorted. Despite franchise owners, who are self-employed, pleading for their right to survive, the Cargo Solidarity's actions?changing the reasons and positions for the strike moment by moment while continuing their sit-in?are being criticized as collective selfishness aimed at protecting vested interests.

According to related industries on the 29th, the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters plans to hold a ‘Public Transport Workers' Union Resolution Rally for Victory of the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters Struggle’ in front of the SPC Samlip Cheongju factory on the afternoon of the 30th. The number of participants is expected to reach around 600. Although an administrative order banning gatherings has been issued around the SPC Samlip Cheongju factory until the 3rd of next month, about 200 Cargo Solidarity union members have been continuously holding a blockade rally to prevent logistics shipments at the SPC Samlip Cheongju factory since the 27th.

The Cargo Solidarity began their sit-in at the SPC workplace on the 2nd. Their initial demand was to ‘resolve the issue of additional vehicles.’ To reduce working hours, they requested an increase in the number of vehicles from the transport companies contracted with SPC Group, on the condition that the freight charges remain the same as before. SPC Group accepted this and deployed two additional vehicles, but during the process of adjusting delivery routes and discussing operational methods, delivery drivers affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and those affiliated with the KCTU clashed over securing favorable routes. Although the transport companies attempted mediation, the KCTU side insisted on unconditional acceptance of their proposed plan and launched a strike refusing delivery.

As the refusal to transport continued, SPC Group terminated contracts with 11 transport companies nationwide, including a transport company in the Gwangju area, on the 14th to minimize damage to franchise owners. The terminated transport companies also notified union members of contract termination on the 16th and claimed about 4 million won in damages.

The Cargo Solidarity proposed, "If responsibility for the strike is not held accountable until now, we will end the strike," but this was not accepted. Consequently, the Cargo Solidarity began a solidarity sit-in from the 15th. About 200 vehicles, approximately 30% of all delivery vehicles, participated in the transport refusal. From this point, the Cargo Solidarity changed the cause of the strike to "union suppression." They claimed that after efforts to improve poor working conditions, an agreement was reached but rejected, leading to the struggle, and that the company retaliated with mass dismissals and damage claims as union suppression. The Cargo Solidarity insisted that this was a "fight for reinstatement, not a strike." The purpose of the resolution rally on the 30th was announced as ‘Condemning SPC Capital and the Involvement of Public Authority.’

SPC Group stated that as a consignment company entrusting logistics services to transport companies, it has no contractual relationship with delivery drivers. SPC said, "We have already completed the increase in vehicles at the request of the transport companies," and rebutted, "The Cargo Solidarity is threatening the business and survival rights of franchise stores and trying to enforce their demands even on the operation of delivery routes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.