“We are not your enemies,” said South Korean truck drivers who are on strike to protect the minimum wage

AUWANG, South Korea, Dec. 5 (Reuters) – Inside five white tents outside the Uwang Container Depot near Seoul, about 200 striking truck drivers are huddled around gas heaters, trying to beat the bitter cold and the government says they are well-paid. “The labor aristocracy…”

They are all fully aware of the impact their strike has had on South Koreans at record inflation time. But these drivers, and the tens of thousands of people on strike across the country, say their calls for stronger minimum wage protections are all that stand between them and poverty.

“We are not enemies. We are loyal to our country, because we contribute to exports,” said Kim Young-chan, a 63-year-old container truck driver who transports exports such as home appliances and cosmetics between Yueyang and Busan Port. . “Our money is spent on eating and living for a month. Labor aristocracy? This is nonsense.”

Amid rising fuel costs, up to 25,000 truck drivers are calling on the government for a permanent minimum wage system known as the “safe freight rate,” which was introduced temporarily in 2020 for a small portion of the more than 400,000 truck drivers.

President Yoon Suk-yul said his administration will not give in to what it calls “unwarranted demands” by the truckers’ union as the second major strike in less than six months is disrupting supplies of cars, cement and fuel. The Minister of the Interior and spokesman for the ruling party called the truckers “the labor aristocracy”.

Pale and unshaven, the bikers venture out of their tents several times a day to chant slogans and hand out fliers.

Kim said higher diesel prices mean their lives are no better than they were in June when they went on strike for eight days. He earns about 3 million won ($2,300) a month, much less than last year because diesel prices have nearly doubled.

Consumer prices in the country also jumped 5% in November compared to a year earlier.

Kim said it breaks his heart that his wife, who is past retirement age, must work to support the family, sweeping floors and cooking for pay.

“Maybe our lives could be better if freight rates were stable,” he said.

The government and the union have met twice for talks but remain far apart on two main issues: extending minimum wage rules beyond the end of this year and extending them to benefit more truck drivers.

The government specifically said it would not expand minimum wage protections for truck drivers in the fuel and steel industries, saying they were already well paid.

Concerns are growing about petrol shortages and overpriced groceries causing economic hardship.

Lee Ji-yeon, 36, a doctor and mother of two, said she rushed to refuel her car on Thursday due to shortage concerns.

“I want the government and the truck drivers to reach an agreement as soon as possible. Strikes like this or by subway workers or public officials – ordinary people like me are directly harmed,” he told me.

Early in the strike, near a major oil storage facility that supplies fuel stations in Seoul, dozens of striking tanker drivers positioned their trucks to block traffic. They stopped on Thursday after residents complained.

“I know people are cold about this strike, and they say, ‘Why again? (010950.KS) to petrol stations.

The Industry Ministry said 60 petrol stations had dried up as of midday Friday. Stations across the country had an average supply of about a week, as they had secured stock before the strike. Read more

Besides Ham, about 90% of the 340 tanker drivers contracted to supply S-Oil products have quit, according to their union leader Lee Geum-sang.

Their families are worried about losing their jobs.

Ham, a father of two, earns about 3 to 4 million won per month working 12 hours a day, five days a week, often overnights and weekends. This is 2 million won less than last year due to fuel costs.

He said, “I’m sorry for my wife and children, because I’m not a good father.” “But we have to continue the strike for a better future ten years ago.”

(Reporting by Jo Min Park and Minwoo Park); Editing by Jack Kim and Jerry Doyle

Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.