South Korean president orders cement truckers back to work

Thousands of striking truck drivers in South Korea have been ordered to return to work or face severe consequences. The strikes organizers say they will not yield.

In an unprecedented move, the government of South Korea on Tuesday issued an order for striking truck drivers in the cement industry to return to work.

The order was approved by President Yoon Suk-yeol's conservative government following a Cabinet meeting and came into effect immediately.

"Please return to your positions before it's too late," Yoon said during the meeting. "There's no way to justify the act of taking the lives of people and the national economy as hostage to accomplish their own interest."

Government officials will conduct on-site inspections along with police. If transport workers do not comply with the order to return to work, transport licenses will be suspended for a period of 30 days. They also face the threat of fines of up to 30 million won ($22,400) and even prison terms, should they refuse to return to work.

Thousands of members of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union (CTSU) have stopped working last Thursday in the second nationwide strike since June.

They're calling for government to make a minimum freight rate system — which expires at the end of the year — permanent.

They're also calling for the system to be expanded and apply to truckers hauling other forms of cargo.

The CTSU has called the work order "undemocratic and anti-constitutional."

Late on Monday the union dug its heels in and said in a statement: "The CTSU will not yield to this pan-government crackdown."

More nationwide rallies are planned for Tuesday.

Yoon said the truckers' strike is threatening to "devastate the foundation of our industries," pointing to delayed deliveries impacting the operations at construction sites and factories.

Minister of Interior and Safety, Lee Sang-min said the strike was costing the economy 300 billion won ($226 million) each day, without detailing how the number was arrived at.

Shipments of cement have plummeted by 90% according to the Cement Association lobbying group.

Container traffic at ports had dropped to 33% of normal levels as of 17:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Monday, according to the transport ministry.

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kb/dj (AP, Reuters)