Ready-Mixed Concrete Union to Strike From June 8... 11,000 Transport Vehicles in Seoul Metropolitan Area Participating

The ready-mixed concrete transport workers' union will go on strike starting June 8, urging management to agree to wage and collective bargaining agreements.

Photo of a ready-mix concrete truck. Photo unrelated to the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

On June 7, the National Ready-Mixed Concrete Transport Workers' Union announced that it would begin a walkout at 8:00 a.m. on June 8 to protest management's insincere bargaining stance and to call for the protection of labor rights and the conclusion of collective wage agreements. On the same day at 11:00 a.m., a resolution rally will also be held in front of Yeouido Square in Seoul.

According to the union, 8,000 members from the Seoul metropolitan area and 11,000 ready-mixed concrete transport vehicles will be participating in this walkout. Unions in regions outside the metropolitan area are still in negotiations with management and therefore will not participate in this walkout.

The union is demanding that the ready-mixed concrete manufacturers, as management, agree to a collective bargaining agreement to improve actual transportation fees, guarantee job security for transport workers, and implement collective bargaining to address unreasonable practices.

Ready-mixed concrete transport workers are classified as special-type workers and are considered independent contractors. However, the union received legal recognition as workers under the Labor Union Act from the Seoul Administrative Court in February, and in March, obtained certification from the Ministry of Employment and Labor to establish a national-level union. Based on this, the union claims that management refuses to recognize the union and is refusing to negotiate.

On the other hand, management argues that the union is demanding excessive increases in transportation fees amid a slump in the construction market. Management also expressed concern that the union's walkout could disrupt operations at semiconductor facilities such as Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek Campus and the SK hynix Yongin Cluster.

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