Changwon Household Waste Collection and Transport Union Suspends Strike... Collection Returns to Normal

The strike by workers of private contractors collecting and transporting household waste in Changwon, Gyeongnam, which began on the 17th, ended on the 21st.

According to the General Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Gyeongnam Headquarters, workers belonging to the KCTU General Union at Dongseong Industry and Seongeun Sanitation Corporation started an indefinite strike from 4 a.m. on the 17th.

At the strike declaration press conference on the same day, they demanded ▲ implementation of daytime shifts ▲ payment of 250,000 KRW per person as a stigma allowance for incineration workers ▲ resolution of issues such as the embezzlement of service fees by city-contracted companies ▲ expansion of low-floor safety cleaning vehicles ▲ establishment of safety measures related to the rear footboard of cleaning vehicles.

Changwon Special City Hall, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

On the 20th, Changwon City decided to prioritize the health management and treatment improvement of cleaning workers and to change the household waste collection start time from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. starting in 2024.

Following this, union members of Seongeun Sanitation Corporation withdrew their strike, and union members of Dongseong Industry resumed garbage collection work from 4 a.m. on the 21st.

A union official stated, “After Changwon City’s announcement, an agreement was reached with the management during discussions regarding the direct labor cost payment under the service contract.”

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