Martial Arts: "Hwamyul Solidarity Should Reconsider June General Strike Decision"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-ho Kim] As the Cargo Solidarity Union has announced an indefinite nationwide general strike starting from the 7th of next month, demanding fare increases reflecting rising oil prices and the extension of the Safe Freight System, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) has raised its voice asking the Cargo Solidarity Union to reconsider its unilateral strike decision. KITA operates the Korea Shippers' Council, the only legally recognized shipper organization in Korea.

At the "Cargo Truck Safe Freight System Forum" held on the 30th at the Federation of Korean Industries building, hosted by the Korea Transport Institute, KITA’s Shippers' Council stated, "The fare increase linked to rising oil prices, which the Cargo Solidarity Union cites as the basis for the strike, is already partially reflected in the currently implemented Safe Freight System."

The Shippers' Council emphasized, "In a situation where export companies are facing crises due to recent global supply chain disruptions, rising raw material prices, and increased logistics costs, we should seek win-win solutions to strengthen national competitiveness rather than resorting to unilateral strikes."

At the forum, the Cargo Solidarity Union advocated for the abolition of the sunset clause and permanent implementation of the Safe Freight System, as well as the expansion of the system’s applicable cargo items. On the other hand, the Shippers' Council argued that the Safe Freight System should sunset as originally agreed upon during its implementation and proposed discussing a new reasonable system that addresses issues revealed during the fare determination process.

Shipper organizations including KITA pointed out, "With the Safe Freight System causing land freight rates to rise by about 30-40%, our export companies are suffering from a triple burden of high freight costs across sea, air, and land transport," adding, "Confusion at the field level is worsening due to various surcharges and application issues." According to a survey conducted this year by the Korean Transport Policy Association, 83% of shippers feel that the current safe freight rates are high and complain about difficulties caused by excessive fare increases and fare volatility.

Lee Jun-bong, Secretary General of the Shippers' Council, said, "Ahead of the sunset of the Safe Freight System this year, rather than the Cargo Solidarity Union unilaterally striking, we hope that the government, the Cargo Solidarity Union, shippers, and other stakeholders can come together to create reasonable alternatives," and added, "We also urge the government to actively take measures to alleviate the burdens on truck drivers caused by the sharp rise in oil prices so that the strike can be withdrawn."

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