[On-site Video] "Take Responsibility for Mass Layoffs and Compensation Lawsuits" Cargo Solidarity Holds Large-scale Rally in Front of HiteJinro

Cargo Solidarity "Prime Contractor Must Step Up to Resolve"
HiteJinro "We Are Not the Party to Terminate the Contract... Strike Must Stop First"

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Public Transport Workers' Union held a rally at the HiteJinro headquarters, urging for increased freight rates for truck owners and resolution of labor-management issues.

HiteJinro has demanded that the union cease the strike occupying its headquarters and is reportedly taking legal action, including filing complaints against some of the protesting union members.

The KCTU Public Transport Workers' Union and the Freight Solidarity held a "High-altitude Sit-in Victory Resolution Rally" at HiteJinro headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, at 2 p.m. on the 18th. The number of union members participating in the rally was estimated by organizers to be around 900.

On the 18th at 2 PM, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Public Transport Workers' Union and the Cargo Solidarity held a "High-Altitude Protest Victory Rally" at the HiteJinro headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The photo shows rally participants waving hand placards in sync with the slogans. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon, PD yoon@

Earlier, 132 truck owners involved in a lawsuit against Suyang Logistics, the freight transport subcontractor for HiteJinro’s Icheon and Cheongju plants, conducted a strike inside the plants. The union has demanded from management a 30% increase in freight rates, an increase in empty container freight charges, and payment for vehicle advertising fees.

As the strike disrupted logistics transportation, HiteJinro filed a damage compensation lawsuit against some of the truck owners affiliated with Suyang Logistics in June.

At the rally, union members shouted slogans such as “Destroy Hite Capital for collective dismissal damage lawsuits” and “We can’t live like this, HiteJinro OUT.”

The union criticized HiteJinro for cutting wages and failing to restore them. Hyun Jeong-hee, chairperson of the Public Transport Workers' Union, stated, “(Currently, freight transport workers are) being asked to accept wages from 15 years ago, and on top of that, wages were cut in 2008 and are still 1% below that level,” adding, “Is this something that HiteJinro, the number one company in Korea’s mainstream liquor industry, should be doing?”

Although the truck owners received contract termination notices from Suyang Logistics, the union urged HiteJinro, as the primary contractor, to directly resolve the labor-management issues. Lee Bong-jo, head of the Freight Solidarity Headquarters, said, “(We) transport goods to locations designated by HiteJinro. So whose employees are we? We are clearly Hite’s employees.”

Yang Han-woong, executive committee member of the Jogye Order Social Labor Committee, pointed out, “HiteJinro effectively controls and dominates irregular workers through lawsuits demanding billions of won in damages, while hiding behind subcontractors to avoid responsibility.” He added, “HiteJinro must take responsibility for labor conflicts, and all primary contractors must be held accountable.”

On the 18th at 2 PM, the Cargo Solidarity of the Public Transport Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a "High-Altitude Sit-in Victory Rally" at the Hite Jinro headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The photo shows a union member on the rooftop of the Hite Jinro headquarters raising a fist downward. Photo by Jin-geun Yoon, PD yoon@

Union members occupying HiteJinro also participated in the rally. Kim Geon-su, organizational deputy head of the HiteJinro branch of the Freight Solidarity, who is currently protesting on the rooftop of the HiteJinro building, said via phone connection, “The tension at the high-altitude sit-in has always been maintained, and both physical fatigue and mental stress are considerable,” adding, “We are risking our lives and will fight to the end.” They sat perched on the outdoor billboard overlooking the rally site, occasionally raising their arms.

HiteJinro stated that the party who terminated the contracts was not the company itself but Suyang Logistics, and that “there is no contractual relationship between our company and the truck owners affiliated with Freight Solidarity.” According to industry sources and the police, on the 17th, HiteJinro filed a complaint with the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul against about 40 Freight Solidarity union members occupying the headquarters, charging them with obstruction of business, special trespassing, and refusal to vacate.