{"id":2199637,"date":"2022-12-05T10:39:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T10:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199637"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:10:52","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:10:52","slug":"yoons-crackdown-on-labor-union-strike-latest-politicization-of-the-rule-of-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/yoons-crackdown-on-labor-union-strike-latest-politicization-of-the-rule-of-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon\u2019s crackdown on labor union strike latest politicization of the rule of law"},"content":{"rendered":"
Since the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union strike (CTSU) began on Nov. 24, South Korea\u2019s supply chain glitches have worsened to the tune of $225 million (300 billion KRW) in losses per day, as supplies of cement and fuel for filling stations run short.<\/span><\/p>\n The Yoon administration, which has characterized the ongoing strikes as \u201c<\/span>political, illegal and violent<\/span><\/a>,\u201d responded by issuing an unprecedented return-to-work order under Article 14 of the <\/span>Transport Truck Business Act<\/span><\/a>. The order applied only to cement truck drivers who participated in the general trucking strike.<\/span><\/p>\n By issuing the order, the Yoon administration issued an ultimatum to these drivers: They could either return to work, or face criminal prosecution of up to three years imprisonment and a fine of <\/span>up to 30 million won<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Although other groups continue to rally behind CTSU, and union chief Lee Bong-joo <\/span>rejected<\/span><\/a> the president\u2019s move as a \u201cdeclaration of martial law,\u201d Yoon\u2019s order appears to have had a significant effect.<\/span><\/p>\n By Saturday morning, of the 33 operators and 791 individual cement truck drivers that the government <\/span>ordered<\/span><\/a> to go back to work, 29 operators and 175 drivers have either resumed work or said they plan to do so in the near future.<\/span><\/p>\n The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that around 2,900 participated in nationwide CTSU rallies on Sunday, a 32% drop compared to the previous week.<\/span><\/p>\n However, protracted strikes still forced at least <\/span>88 gas stations<\/span><\/a> across the country to run out of fuel. President Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span>instructed<\/span><\/a> officials during a ministerial meeting on Sunday to prepare a similar return-to-work executive order for striking fuel and steel truck drivers as a result.<\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Yoon\u2019s <\/span>approval rating<\/span><\/a> has improved in recent days with some estimates as high as <\/span>38.9%<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n