Over 100 construction sites hit by ready-mix concrete transport strike

A transport refusal by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Workers' Union, which began June 8, has heightened alarm across the construction industry. Concrete pours have been delayed at more than 100 sites operated by 22 major construction companies.

According to the Korea Federation of Construction Industry on Friday, ready-mix concrete supply had been cut off at 105 sites as of the previous day, delaying approximately 100,000 cubic meters of concrete pours. The federation held an emergency industry meeting on the ready-mix concrete transport refusal in the greater Seoul area to assess damages and draw up countermeasures. Representatives from 13 major construction companies attended.

The federation said that with the concrete supply disruption stretching beyond five days, most sites are experiencing serious schedule setbacks. "If the situation continues past this week into next week, a full shutdown will be unavoidable at some sites," it warned.

The federation also said construction stoppages at nationally critical advanced-industry sites — including Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek campus and SK Hynix's Yongin semiconductor cluster — could inflict irreversible national damage amid the global competition for semiconductor dominance.

Despite the mounting delays, the government has yet to announce clear support measures for affected public and private construction projects. The federation said it fears a cascading effect, as companies face enormous delay penalties and some construction unions are showing signs of demanding shutdown allowances for non-concrete work halted by the strike.

Industry representatives at the meeting put forward four government requests: prompt resumption of negotiations between ready-mix concrete manufacturers and transport operators, recognition of force majeure for schedule delays caused by the transport operators' work stoppage, measures to stabilize supply, and a crackdown on illegal activity.

Attendees called on the government to recognize schedule delays as force majeure and establish a framework to waive delay penalties, and to shorten the review period for adjusting the supply of ready-mix concrete mixer trucks from two years to one.

They also asked the government to review easing installation requirements for on-site batch plants at major national projects and urban construction sites, and to crack down on transport operators obstructing the removal of ready-mix concrete.

Kwon Hyeok-jin, standing vice chairman of the Korea Federation of Construction Industry, said the ongoing supply disruption despite government mediation efforts is causing enormous national losses and direct inconvenience to the public. "The federation will actively convey the seriousness of the situation to the government and work together toward a swift resolution," he said.

The federation plans to operate a corporate support center for ready-mix concrete work stoppages until the situation is resolved, and will maintain a hotline with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to continuously monitor damage at construction sites.

The Korea Construction Management Association also said Friday that the ready-mix concrete transport union's strike risks disrupting not only housing, road, railway and port projects but also national strategic projects in the semiconductor and advanced-industry sectors. It urged the government to ease regulations on the installation of batch plants at large construction sites, among other measures.