"Reintroduce the Safe Freight Rate System"... Cargo Solidarity Holds Rally in Downtown Seoul

"Cargo Workers Suffer from Long Working Hours"

On the 15th, rallies demanding the reintroduction of the Safe Freight Rate System to ensure fair wages for truck drivers were held across downtown Seoul. The Safe Freight Rate System was implemented as a sunset policy from 2020 to 2022 with the aim of guaranteeing fair wages for truck drivers and preventing overwork, overloading, and speeding, but it ended after three years.

The Cargo Solidarity Headquarters of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU) held a "Cargo Workers' All-Out Struggle Resolution Rally" at 2 p.m. in front of Yeouido Park in Seoul, urging the reintroduction of the Safe Freight Rate System, citing that cargo workers are suffering from long hours and intense labor.

At the rally, which the organizers estimated was attended by about 10,000 people, they claimed that the safety of cargo workers has been threatened, noting that 847 people died in truck accidents last year alone after the Safe Freight Rate System ended. The Cargo Solidarity emphasized, "The reintroduction of the Safe Freight Rate System and its application to all vehicle types and all cargo items are necessary."