Strike at Korean ports ends

Strike at Korean ports ends A strike by truck drivers at Korean ports ended Tuesday afternoon, said the Port of Busan Authority.
   The Yonhap news agency said the Korea Cargo Transport Workers Union made the decision 'after the National Assembly's Construction and Transportation Committee agreed to review related legislation that favors the truckers next February.'
   In an editorial, the Hankyoreh newpaper urged the government to examine the reasons behind the strike.
   'If there had been any progress on the plans to improve shippers' pay — something the government and the Korea Cargo Transport Workers Union agreed to when the 2003 strike came to an end — then this current strike would never have happened,' it said.
   Hankyoreh said union members are asking for a standard charge schedule that would guarantee a minimum wage, explaining a rapid increase in the number of truck drivers and logistics companies after the industry was liberalized had forced wages down to pre-1997 levels.
   It also said 'introduction fees' taken by middlemen who act as job brokers between truck owners and shipping companies can be exorbitant ' 'particularly when a vehicle owner repeatedly has to pay to find work, the introduction fees can end up being almost half of what is paid for the actual shipping. If eliminating the go-between companies altogether is impossible, then there should be a cap on how much can be charged for such services.'