The stern government response to the truck drivers’ strike comes in part because of their potential power and in part because of their precarious status as independent contractors. As ‘owner drivers’ or (‘specially-employed’ workers in Korean terminology), truck drivers are treated as independent contractors, not workers, and therefore denied the rights to form and join trade unions, collectively bargain and strike. Therefore, while KPTU accepts it as a full affiliate, TruckSol is not recognised as a legal union by the Korean government or employers.

The Conditions of ‘Owner Drivers’

Since last year, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and its affiliates have been fighting against a set of reforms that would make it easy for employers to fire workers, lower wages and restrict unions’ ability to bargain for their members. Public sector workers are currently in their third week of a national strike against the introduction of a performance-related pay and termination system. Although TruckSol members have participated in KCTU and KPTU actions, the demands are not entirely applicable to their situation. This is because they have never had job security, guaranteed wages or bargaining rights to lose in the first place.

Truck drivers are paid not a wage, but a ‘transport rate’ based on the cargo they haul and the distance they travel. Rates are set by large corporations who ship goods and subcontract the transport task to logistics intermediaries and transport companies down the supply chain. These intermediaries then re-contract the work to drivers. After intermediaries take their piece of that rate, truck drivers are left with what is often equivalent to less than the minimum wage. Truck drivers are now striking against a plan by the government that will allow for an oversupply of trucks, leading to competition and pushing rates down even further.

Low rates and demands of the companies at the top of the transport supply chain mean that truck drivers often feel forced into overloading, speeding and driving inhumanely long hours, just to be able to feed their families. These circumstances are harmful for truck drivers’ health and hazardous to the public at large. Nearly 1,200 people die on Korean roads as a result of truck crashes every year, an average of 3.2 people a day. A major concern for TruckSol is that truck drivers’ basic rights be guaranteed and that cargo owners and transport companies be required to enable drivers to work without the pressure to engage in unsafe driving practices.

Solidarity to Demand Safety before Profits