Greater Seoul transport fee negotiations conclude, ready-mix deliveries to resume; tentative agreement sets rate at 4,200 won per trip with renegotiation in eight months; approved with 65.9% in favor
Ready-mix concrete deliveries in the Greater Seoul area are set to resume after transport fee negotiations reached a settlement, ending a strike that had halted construction across the region.
The National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Workers' Union ratified a second tentative agreement on transport fees Monday, with 65.9% of members voting in favor, according to the ready-mix concrete industry.
Of the union's 7,517 registered members, 7,158 cast ballots. A total of 4,714 voted in favor, while 2,316 — or 32.4% — voted against. Another 128 ballots, or 1.8%, were invalid or abstained.
The union and industry representatives reached the tentative agreement Sunday night under mediation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The deal raises the per-trip transport fee by 4,200 won, matching the 5.5% increase rate in the first tentative agreement, but shortens the contract term from one year to eight months. The new rate will apply from July 1 through Feb. 28 next year.
Growing public criticism of the union also appears to have helped push the deal through. The strike had halted not only major construction sites across the Greater Seoul area but also semiconductor factory construction, including Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek campus and SK Hynix's Yongin cluster. The Korea Federation of Construction Associations said concrete pouring work totaling roughly 160,000 cubic meters had been delayed across 117 sites operated by 25 large construction companies.
With the tentative agreement ratified, the strike officially ends Monday. However, the prospect of renegotiation in eight months remains a lingering concern — once the agreement expires at the end of February next year, pressure for another transport fee increase could resurface.
For manufacturers, the deal immediately reduces the risk of further strike action, but the threat of recurring fee hike demands over the medium to long term remains. "The eight-month agreement leaves room for union members to come back to the table," one industry official said. "It may be effective in stopping the strike for now, but the possibility of transport fee negotiations flaring up again early next year is still very much there."
boo@heraldcorp.com
