2 years ago
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By Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol warned the authorities mightiness measurement successful to interruption up a nationwide onslaught by truckers, describing it arsenic an amerciable and unacceptable determination to instrumentality the nationalist proviso concatenation "hostage" during an economical crisis.
Thousands of unionised truckers kicked disconnected their 2nd large onslaught seeking amended wage and moving conditions successful little than six months connected Thursday. The enactment is already disrupting proviso chains crossed the world's 10th-largest economy, affecting automakers, the cement manufacture and alloy producers.
Union officials said determination were nary negotiations oregon dialog ongoing with the government. The country's transport ministry said it requested dialog with the national connected Thursday, but the parties person yet to hold connected a date.
Union officials estimated astir 25,000 radical were joining the strike, retired of astir 420,000 full transport workers successful South Korea. The transport ministry said astir 7,700 radical were expected to rally for the onslaught connected Friday successful 164 locations nationwide, down from 9,600 radical connected Thursday.
"The nationalist volition not tolerate taking the logistics strategy hostage successful the look of a nationalist crisis," Yoon said successful a Facebook connection precocious connected Thursday, noting that exports were cardinal to overcoming economical instability and fiscal marketplace volatility.
"If the irresponsible denial of transport continues, the authorities volition person nary prime but to reappraisal a fig of measures, including a enactment commencement order."
According to South Korean law, during a superior disruption to proscription the authorities whitethorn contented an bid to unit transport workers backmost to their jobs. Failure to comply is punishable by up to 3 years of jail, oregon a good of up to 30 cardinal won ($22,550).
Were the authorities to instrumentality this option, it would beryllium the archetypal clip successful South Korean past specified a bid is issued. Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong told reporters connected Thursday that the ministry has already begun groundwork for issuing the order.
The onslaught comes aft South Korea saw October exports autumn the astir successful 26 months arsenic its commercialized shortage persisted for a seventh month, underlining the slowdown successful its export-driven economy.
Amid the economical gloom, Yoon's support standing remained mostly level for the 5th week astatine 30%, according to Gallup Korea connected Friday, though his absorption connected economical affairs received a affirmative response.
'HARD-LINE RESPONSE'
The caput of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union (CTSU), Lee Bong-ju, said the truckers had nary prime but to onslaught aft the authorities stalled negotiations.
"The Yoon Suk-yeol authorities is threatening a hard-line effect without immoderate efforts to halt the strike," Lee told reporters connected Thursday.
On the archetypal time of the strike, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said it received 19 reports of cases of disrupted logistics. These included inability to bring successful earthy materials, higher logistics costs and transportation delays starring to penalties and commercialized with overseas buyers being scrapped.
In 1 instance, earthy materials for a chemic institution were delivered nether constabulary extortion aft the transport conveyance was blocked by striking truckers from entering a factory, KITA said.
The cement manufacture sustained an output nonaccomplishment of an estimated 19 cardinal won ($14.26 million) connected Thursday, lobby radical Korea Cement Association said, aft shipments slumped to little than 10,000 tonnes owed to the strike.
This compares with South Korea's 200,000 tonnes of cement request per time successful the highest play betwixt September and aboriginal December. Construction sites are astatine hazard of moving retired of gathering materials aft the weekend.
The manufacture ministry said the alloy assemblage besides saw shipments driblet connected Thursday. POSCO, the country's largest steelmaker, declined to remark connected the extent.
Meanwhile, workers astatine Hyundai Motor's Ulsan mill are expected to thrust astir 1,000 caller cars to customers straight connected Friday, aft delivering astir 50 cars connected Thursday, a typical of a abstracted national astatine the mill told Reuters. So acold determination was nary interaction connected car output, the authoritative said.
Drivers recruited by Hyundai Motor's logistics affiliate Hyundai Glovis besides began delivering immoderate Kia Corp cars by driving them straight from Kia's Gwangju works to customers, a Kia authoritative told Reuters.
The authoritative didn't accidental however galore Kia cars would beryllium delivered straight to buyers.
($1 = 1,332.4700 won)
(Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang; Additional reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Kenneth Maxwell)
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