MADRID, 12 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
South Korean truckers have extended their strike this Saturday to a fifth day, causing supply chain disruptions and clashes with police in several cities.
The strikers, some 7,350 members of the 22,000-strong Korean Confederation of Trade Unions affiliated with ‘Freight Truck Drivers’ Solidarity’, have extended the strike demanding a tariff system that guarantees basic wages for drivers. They have argued that rising fuel prices have eroded their wages, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Major ports have reported logistical disruptions as a result of the strike, while the Transport Ministry has said shipments of cars, steel products and cement have been delayed or cancelled.
In the demonstrations, there have been clashes between the strikers and the Police in several cities. These confrontations have resulted in two injured policemen who have had to be sent to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
In the port city of Busan, in the south of the country, the Police arrested six trade unionists on Saturday for allegedly blocking cargo trucks carrying goods. However, these trade unionists have been released ten hours later, the Korean agency reported.
