The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport immediately issued an order to commence work for those who refused to transport goods in the cement industry as the order to commence business was deliberated and resolved at the Cabinet meeting in connection with the general strike of the cargo unions on the morning of the 29th.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong said at a briefing held at the Seoul Government Complex at 11:15 am today, "From now on, a business start order will be executed for those who refuse to transport."
In accordance with Article 14 of the Cargo Transportation Business Act, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport may order the commencement of business if a transportation company or a transportation worker collectively refuses cargo transportation without justifiable grounds, which causes or is likely to cause a very serious crisis to the national economy. .
Regarding the reason for selecting the cement industry as the subject of the business start order, Minister Won explained, "It is an area where normalization of logistics is deemed most urgent after comprehensively considering the scale of damage and ripple effects."
The government believes that cement shipments have decreased by 90-95% since the general strike, and construction will be suspended at most construction sites across the country due to disruptions in cement transportation and suspension of ready-mixed concrete production.
Accumulated damage to the construction industry, such as delays in the construction period and burden of compensation for delay, raises concerns about damage to the overall industry due to increased construction costs and financial costs, and can bring about a crisis in the construction industry throughout the national economy.
Minister Won emphasized that the order to start work was not intended to punish transport workers and transport operators, and that it was an inevitable measure to restore the national logistics network and minimize damage to the national economy by allowing freight transport workers to return to work.
At the same time, he urged the Cargo Solidarity to withdraw the collective transportation refusal even now.
According to the result of the State Council, the order to start business is served to the cement industry transport refusal.
Transport business operators and transport workers who have been served with the order must withdraw their collective transport refusal and return to transport business by 24:00 on the day after they are served.
Failure to fulfill the obligation to return without justifiable grounds may result in administrative dispositions such as suspension of operation or suspension of qualifications, as well as criminal penalties such as imprisonment for up to 3 years and a fine of up to 30 million won.
(Photo = Yonhap News)