Voting Held at 16 Regional Headquarters at 9 AM
Emergency Meeting of Central Committee Decides to Accept 3-Year Extension of Safe Freight System
Grand Decision to Prevent System Sunset
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Cargo Solidarity Union decided on the 9th to determine whether to call off the strike through a general vote of its members. If the majority of votes favor calling off the strike, the union will return to work 16 days after initiating the collective transportation refusal.
On the evening of the 8th, the Cargo Solidarity Union convened an emergency meeting of the Central Executive Committee, composed of headquarters executives and heads of 16 regional headquarters, in Daejeon, and announced this position through a statement.
The Central Executive Committee of the Cargo Solidarity Union was initially scheduled to discuss the level of the general strike at this meeting. However, the agenda was changed after the Democratic Party agreed to the ruling party and government's proposal to extend the sunset clause of the Safe Freight Rate System by three years. After a fierce meeting lasting over six hours, it was reported that there was consensus to prevent the system's sunset scheduled for the end of this year and to minimize damage to union members.
Accordingly, the union decided to accept the three-year extension of the Safe Freight Rate System agreed upon by the ruling and opposition parties and to conclude the matter of calling off the general strike through a member vote on the 9th. The results of the general vote on calling off the strike are expected to be announced in the afternoon of the same day.
A Cargo Solidarity Union official stated, "Although there was no agreement with the Democratic Party, the acceptance of the ruling party's proposal by the Democratic Party caused unrest among union members, prompting the leadership to make a decision."
The Cargo Solidarity Union urged the government and the ruling People Power Party to keep their promise to extend the Safe Freight Rate System for three years, emphasizing that the union made a difficult decision to prevent the system's sunset. Lee Bong-ju, Chairman of the Cargo Solidarity Union, said, "The Cargo Solidarity Union has made a magnanimous decision to prevent the system's sunset," and stressed, "The government and ruling party should also keep their promise to extend the Safe Freight Rate System for three years, as announced through party-government consultations."
Furthermore, he emphasized that broad discussions and evaluations regarding the expansion of items covered by the Safe Freight Rate System should take place, urging the government and the National Assembly to actively continue discussions and guarantee the participation of stakeholders, including the Cargo Solidarity Union.
Until the previous day, the Cargo Solidarity Union had maintained a hardline stance against the government's additional work commencement orders, but the sudden change in position appears to be based on the judgment that continuing the strike would inevitably lead to the sunset of the Safe Freight Rate System.
In its statement, the Cargo Solidarity Union said, "Cargo workers can no longer stand by and watch the logistics industry, our workplace, being destroyed by the government's administrative measures and over-application," and added, "The Cargo Solidarity Union has made a difficult decision to minimize damage to union members and to urge a change in the government's attitude, which has consistently enforced harsh repression."
However, the Cargo Solidarity Union reiterated its criticism that the work commencement orders are unconstitutional repression and stated its intention to hold the government accountable through the International Labour Organization (ILO) until the end.
If the vote supports calling off the strike with a majority of participating voters, the strike will end after 16 days. This would be the longest strike period, similar to the first general strike of the Cargo Solidarity Union during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2003.
Previously, the government had pressured the Cargo Solidarity Union by issuing additional work commencement orders in the steel and petrochemical sectors after the union's strike continued despite the government's order in the cement sector.
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