Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs – Cargo Alliance 2nd round of negotiations today, agreement unlikely to be reached

On the 30th, the 7th day of the general strike of the Korean Confederation of Public Transportation Unions of the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters union (cargo union), the government and the cargo union will hold a second round of negotiations. With the government issuing an unprecedented start-up order, the two sides are fiercely confronting each other, so the chance of reaching an agreement is low.

According to Cargo Solidarity, on the 30th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the union will meet at the Sejong Government Complex from 14:00 for a second round of negotiations. The two sides had the first official negotiation after the strike of the 28th, but it ended without results, only to confirm the difference in position.

The previous day (29), the government issued an order to start the business, so the negotiations are unlikely to be concluded through negotiations. The cargo union has announced plans to continue the strike and take legal action, including an immediate request for an injunction, and the government is also sticking to a tough response.

It remains to be seen whether administrative measures will be taken starting today for non-compliance with the start-up decree. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, truck owners (union members) who received a commencement order on the 29th have until midnight (0:00) on the 1st to return to work. In the event of failure to return to work, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is expected to issue the borrower a 30-day suspension of activity in advance.

However, if the cargo union files an application for an interim disposition against the commencement order, the effect of the discontinuation disposition may be temporarily suspended until the court makes a decision. It remains to be seen whether any serious criminal sanctions will be launched, such as an investigation into the police perception of the union leadership that there was an illegal strike or an investigation following the prosecution of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs . The Ministry of the Territory, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 29th that “the penal sanction can be applied in parallel with the administrative measure”.