[Photo by Namgung Jin-woong = timeid@ajunews.com]
Thousands of truck drivers joined a walkout Monday, disrupting South Korea's cargo delivery which has already been hurt substantially by a two-week strike at railway stations.
Unionized truck drivers refused cargo loading and unloading at seaports and terminals in protest at a government scheme to reform the country's freight transport market.
Government officials warned that cargo containers shipped by trucks may drop by as much as 32 percent. There are about 21,800 trucks carrying cargo containers in South Korea with 7,000 of them unionized.
The government released a reform package in August to ease regulations on trucks of less than 1.5 tons that are short in supply. Drivers claimed the government's move would cause a glut in cargo trucks.
Freight trucks have been used to transport products for exports and imports since railway workers launched a strike on September 27 in protest at a performance-based incentive wage system aimed at introducing labor market flexibility.
No major disruptions in passenger services were reported, but railroad cargo delivery has been reduced to nearly half of capacity.
State-run companies and financial companies are under pressure to introduce the new wage system from January 1 next year. Workers are afraid of losing important protections.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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