Yoon: "Nothing Can Be Gained Through Illegal Means"

- Cargo Solidarity General Strike "Hostage to National Economy... Resulting in Taking Away Citizens' Jobs"
- President Yoon to Directly Preside Over Cabinet Meeting on 29th... "Labor-Management Rule of Law More Important Than Ever"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Seok-yeol emphasized on the 28th that "nothing can be gained through illegal actions" in response to the Cargo Solidarity Union's collective refusal to transport. President Yoon stated, "Our government's consistent stance on labor issues is to break down the dual structure of the labor market and ensure fairness in working conditions." He is scheduled to personally preside over a Cabinet meeting on the 29th to deliberate on whether to issue a work commencement order for the Cargo Solidarity Union.

During the senior secretaries' meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, President Yoon mentioned, "For the victims of the dual labor market structure, it is more important than ever to establish labor-management rule of law based on law and principles." A presidential office official explained that 'labor-management rule of law' means "whether it is illegal acts by labor or management, laws and principles must be properly upheld."

In particular, President Yoon defined the Cargo Solidarity Union's actions as 'illegal' and stressed, "Nothing can be gained through illegal means." He added, "The union's illegal acts and violence, which hold the national economy hostage, damage our economy and result in taking away jobs from citizens hoping for economic recovery." He further stated, "Ultimately, those who suffer from this are low-wage workers struggling with the dual labor market structure, so the government must take the lead in forming equitable working conditions."

Accordingly, President Yoon decided to preside over the Cabinet meeting tomorrow to deliberate on whether to issue the work commencement order for the Cargo Solidarity Union. Initially, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Choo Kyung-ho was scheduled to preside, but considering the seriousness of the matter, the president will preside directly. This effectively signals a pre-announcement of the order issuance. However, a presidential office official added, "We have repeatedly stated that the door to dialogue remains open," and "Since the first dialogue started today, we will observe the negotiation contents."

Procedurally, the work commencement order is issued by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport after deliberation by the Cabinet. The order proposal includes a period for on-site investigation, and if illegal acts are found during the investigation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the order will be issued.

The work commencement order system was introduced in 2004 following the 2003 general strike by the Cargo Solidarity Union. If the Cabinet resolution materializes, it will be the first case of the order being issued. Once the order is issued, transport operators and workers cannot refuse it without just cause, and refusal may result in imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won. Violations of the order can also lead to suspension or cancellation of cargo truck transport business or transport franchise business licenses.

Meanwhile, the Cargo Solidarity Union and the government entered negotiations on the same day, the fifth day of the general strike, but ultimately failed. The Cargo Solidarity Union stated in a press release, "We participated in today's negotiations with a forward-looking attitude to promptly resolve this issue through dialogue with the government," but "the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's response was that 'there is nothing the Ministry can answer.'" The negotiations, which began at 2 p.m., reportedly ended after an hour and a half. The Cargo Solidarity Union criticized, "The Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport repeatedly said, 'Today's position of the Cargo Solidarity Union will be reported to the Presidential Office, but the Ministry has no authority or discretion regarding this,' and left before the negotiations concluded." The government raised the crisis alert level for the land cargo transport sector from 'caution' to 'serious' and formed the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the same day.

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