[Reporter’s Notebook] A Cement Factory Where You Can't Even Take Out Your Phone

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] "How could there be any photos when you can't even take your phone out of your pocket?"

The Cargo Solidarity Union strike site, where I asked questions to hide the embarrassment of not being able to go to the scene, was tense. Although times have changed and generations have shifted, the strike site remains unchanged from the past. On the 9th, a photo was published in several media outlets. The photo showed a truck loaded with packaged cement being inspected by the Cargo Solidarity Union at a cement factory in a provincial area, revealing another reality of the site that day.

The Cargo Solidarity Union members blocking fellow workers trying to do their jobs for their livelihood and obstructing cement shipments clearly showed selfishness aimed at achieving their goals. Someone must have risked taking photos to avoid the surveillance of the union members who monitored every entrance of the factory and every move of the factory employees. After the photo was published, the atmosphere at the factory likely became even more severe. It is said that the site is under such intense surveillance that taking a phone out of one’s pocket is frightening.

The memory of the early days of the Cargo Solidarity Union, when steel balls flew in front of eyes and employees taking photos were collectively beaten, still remains as fear in the hearts of the workers. Although not to the same extent, situations where force is used to block and threaten fellow workers still persist.

Due to the cement supply crisis, delays in construction schedules are expected, while cement that cannot be shipped is piling up at the cement factories. Construction sites face the risk of work stoppages, and the national logistics network is blocked in many places, causing inconvenience to the public.

As of the morning of the 13th, cement stockpiles total 1.14 million tons, including 490,000 tons at production plants and 650,000 tons at distribution bases. Workers at cement production sites lamented, "While construction sites are in chaos due to cement shortages, the production plants are overflowing with cement and are being forced to halt production." The longer the strike continues, the higher the probability that everyone will end up losing.

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