Ready to Resume Transport, Remicon Transport Union... Companies Also Busy Preparing for Negotiations

Instead of Integrated Negotiations, 14 Regional Negotiations to Proceed
Discussion Between Remicon Company Representatives and Union Branch Leaders

Since the 1st, concrete mixer truck drivers in the Seoul metropolitan area, who had entered an indefinite strike demanding a transportation fee increase, have withdrawn their strike and resumed transportation from the 4th. Instead, they will engage in discussions with concrete manufacturers in 14 regional zones within the metropolitan area.

On the morning of the 1st, concrete mixer trucks were parked at a cement factory in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, as the Remicon Transport Labor Union under the Korean Federation of Trade Unions began an indefinite strike, urging negotiations for increased transportation fees.
Photo by Yonhap News

According to the concrete industry on the 4th, from this day forward, concrete companies will send official letters to the Concrete Transport Labor Union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions specifying negotiation locations and times for each of the 14 metropolitan zones. The 14 zones are divided into Bucheon, Paju, Anyang, Yeoju·Icheon, Suwon·Hwaseong, Southern area (Pyeongtaek·Anseong), and Southeastern/Northern areas (Guri·Namyangju), among others.

The concrete companies have roughly selected representatives for each zone. Since most concrete companies are small and medium-sized enterprises with many companies in each region, not all can sit at the negotiation table. Kim Young-seok, director of the Seoul-Gyeongin Concrete Cooperative, said, “Since negotiations need to start, we have been preparing by discussing and selecting delegations by zone for several days,” adding, “In some zones, talks about starting negotiations from today have already emerged.” A representative from the Concrete Transport Union also explained, “The union already has branch chiefs for each of the 14 zones, so once the companies are ready, the first meeting can take place immediately.”

The Concrete Transport Union initially sent official letters to companies for integrated negotiations on transportation unit prices, but as the companies did not respond, a full strike began in the metropolitan area from the 1st. There are about 11,000 concrete transport drivers in the metropolitan area, of whom approximately 8,400 belong to the Concrete Transport Union. As a result, concrete transportation nearly stopped, effectively halting factory operations. Concrete companies argued that integrated negotiations were difficult due to significant differences in production and transportation costs by region. A concrete company official explained, “In complex urban areas, a distance that can be covered in 30 minutes might take over an hour, and fuel costs vary by region, so it is impossible to raise fees all at once,” adding, “Transportation fees are set higher the closer to Seoul.”

The Concrete Transport Union decided to accept regional negotiations instead of integrated negotiations, citing the difficult construction market situation and the companies’ willingness to negotiate. It is also believed that the momentum of the collective strike had diminished. Previously, the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Central Labor Relations Commission ruled that transport operators cannot be considered workers under the Labor Union Act, and the union cannot be recognized as a legitimate labor union.

A concrete company official said, “Some zones may conclude negotiations quickly, while others may experience delays, but unlike previous years, since the union’s status was not recognized, we expect compromises to be reached faster than usual,” adding, “Concrete companies are not completely opposed to raising transportation fees, so it is expected that the matter will be settled at an appropriate level.”

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