Ready-mixed concrete trucks are parked in a parking lot of a factory in Seoul, Sunday, four days after unionized truckers staged on a strike. Yonhap

The economy already feeling pinch due to extended strikes, it says

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The presidential office said on Sunday that "various policy measures are under review at the working level" to protect the economy from any possible fallout caused by unionized cargo truckers' strike.

"The Cargo Truckers' Solidarity Union's strikes came in the midst of a volatile economy. In a situation like this, the public and private sectors are supposed to be united and work together to get through the challenges, instead of being pitted against each other as the nation is seeing now," Lee Jae-myoung, deputy presidential spokesperson, told reporters during a policy briefing on Sunday.

Lee noted that economic damage has begun to materialize, as the construction industry is already feeling the pinch from the strikes such as a shortage of ready-mixed concrete at their construction sites.

When asked to comment on President Yoon Suk-yeol's remarks that the government may invoke an executive order forcing the cargo truckers to return to work, Lee said it's difficult for him to specify when it will be implemented.

On Thursday night, Yoon warned he might sign the executive order as a last resort to stop the extended strikes. "The nation won't tolerate the act of holding the logistics sector hostage in a time of crisis. If the truckers continue their strike, the government has no other means but to rely on various forcible measures, including an executive order, to make sure they return to work," he wrote on social media.

Under the law, the land minister can implement an executive order to force workers involved in strikes or other illegal collective actions to return to work, if their action can cause serious damage or harm to the national economy. Those who resist such an order can face up to three years in prison or 30 million won in fines.

It remains uncertain when or even whether Yoon's warning will become a reality.

Some raised the possibility that the executive order may be approved during a Cabinet meeting slated for Tuesday and then be implemented shortly afterwards.

The forceful measure to put an end to the truckers' strikes has pitted the rival parties against each other.

On Sunday, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) requested the government take stern action against the truckers during the fourth day of their strike demanding basic wages, urging it to protect non-unionized workers from violent actions.

In a statement released on Sunday, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, a PPP spokesman, the strikes were initiated by "a small number of hardliners" and claimed they have taken the nation's economy hostage. "Over 70 percent of the unionized workers resist joining the strike," he said.

Jang said the unionized workers who didn't participate in the strikes face threats of violence from the hardliners. "Who on earth allowed them to take illegal and violent strikes?" he asked in the statement.

The PPP lawmaker called for a principled reaction from the government to protect law and order.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) remained sympathetic with the unionized workers, questioning the government's role in the labor dispute.

In a press release, Rep. Park Sung-joon of the DPK dismissed the PPP's argument, accusing the government of trying to oppress the union workers.

"I hope that the government can stop repressing the rising demands from the unionized workers and try to heed to their voices. The economy cannot be sustained at the expense of someone else's unilateral sacrifices," he said in the statement.

Park voiced worries about the negotiations to be held on Monday between the truckers' union and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, saying it remains uncertain whether the scheduled talks will go smoothly.

He went on to say that the government is considering an extreme option and this makes him skeptical about the negotiation results.

National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun warned of legal consequences for the truckers who attempt to rely on illegal actions, such as blocking non-unionized truckers from entering logistics hubs.