SEOUL, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A walkout by 30,000 cargo handlers in South Korea was in its second day Friday, seriously disrupting the flow of goods, the Korea Times reported.
Despite the action by members of the Korean Cargo Workers Federation, the government has refused to back down. Authorities even warned the leaders who orchestrated the collective action face arrest if the striking workers do not return to work by Monday.
The strike comes after negotiations failed Wednesday between independent cargo workers and bulk cement transport firms over transportation fees. The workers want a 30 percent increase in transport carriage rates along with a rise in gas prices and other transportation-related costs.
As a result of the strike, the number of containers handled daily at the port of Kwangyang fell to a third its normal level. Pusan, the country's largest port handling half of all containers coming into South Korea, saw a 35 percent drop in the number of containers processed.
