South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has issued fresh directives for widening a back-to-work order beyond the cement industry amid a prolonged truckers' strike.
The government on Tuesday issued an order for some 2,500 cement truck drivers to return to work after industrial action for more than 10 days.
On Sunday, Yoon called for the punishment of those who have violated laws during the strike, ordering ministers to take action to minimize damages, such as employing alternative drivers, military personnel and military equipment. Truckers who refuse to get back on the road after a "start work" order can be fined, jailed, or lose their license.
So far, negotiators for the government and unions have made no headway in reaching an agreement over minimum wages. The government has announced that it would not extend a minimum wage system for truckers beyond a further three years. The unions say the government should widen its scope on the wage system and devise a scheme that incorporates permanent wage increase in it.
In order to mount pressure on the government, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, an umbrella group, has organized a general strike for Tuesday.
South Korea’s economy is facing tough times with steeply rising inflation, the weak won versus the US dollar, and steep interest rate hikes, exacerbated by fears of a global recession.
The growing external economic uncertainty increases the risks of domestic stagflation and fast-paced high inflation resulting from skyrocketing energy and commodity prices as well as from persistent disruptions in the global supply chains.
Economists believe that South Korea’s dire economic situation may plunge the nation into a situation similar to the 2008 economic crisis.
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