Cargo truckers to go on general strike next month to demand freight rate hikes

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- Unionized cargo truck drivers said Monday they will go on an indefinite general strike early next month to demand freight fare hikes and other assistance measures to cope with soaring fuel prices.

All members of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), will join the general strike set to kick off at midnight on June 7, the union said in a press conference held at the KCTU headquarters in central Seoul.

The truckers' union protested that surging diesel prices are threatening their rights to survival, demanding a hike in freight rates and other support measures.

"Having to pay several million won more for fuel costs, cargo truckers are facing a crisis," a union official said, calling on the government for support measures.

"We need freight rate hikes and other legal and institutional safety nets to have our survival rights guaranteed."

The union also demanded an extension of the Safe Trucking Freight Rates System designed to prevent dangerous driving and guarantee minimum freight rates for truck drivers. The system, introduced for a three-year run in 2020, is scheduled to end on Dec. 31.

The union said the planned strike will continue until those demands are accepted.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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