Cement Industry Urges to Stop Unjustified Transport Refusal Actions

During the general strike of the Cargo Solidarity Union last June, BCT was stopped at Seongsin Cement Susaek Plant in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The cement industry appealed on the 24th, "We firmly oppose unjustified transportation refusal actions, and attempts to forcibly block cement transportation or other illegal physical force must be stopped."

The Korea Cement Association issued a statement on the same day, saying, "We earnestly request the government to do its utmost to establish reliable measures so that normal business activities at workplaces can proceed smoothly."

The cement industry is greatly concerned about repeated transportation refusal actions targeting the cement industry, which has faithfully guaranteed safe freight rates based on the safety freight system introduced with a three-year sunset clause. During an eight-day transportation refusal in June, the industry's cement sales loss reached 106.1 billion KRW, facing the worst crisis situation. Due to the recent Obong Station safety accident disrupting cement supply and considering that the period from September to early December is the peak season for cement demand, the industry expects a much greater impact than the June transportation refusal.

The cement industry explained, "Considering the business performance of the cement industry, which is experiencing a sharp decline in operating profit due to the rapid increase in international raw material prices and electricity rates, this will act as a serious management burden," adding, "Since the introduction of the safety freight system, logistics costs for the cement industry have increased by more than 120 billion KRW." The industry further demanded, "With the introduction of a new and progressive freight system that fully reflects the opinions of shippers such as cement and container sectors, we should be able to expect genuine logistics advancement based on a win-win foundation."

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