S. Korean cargo drivers decide general strike, date yet to be set

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with union official's comments, other details; MODIFIES
headline)
DAEJEON, May 16 (Yonhap) -- A union of South Korean truck drivers nationwide
voted Saturday to launch a strike to demand better job security and the
reinstatement of laid-off colleagues.
Nearly half of the group's 15,000 members gathered in Daejeon, some 160km south
of Seoul and voted for the strike call by their leaders, union officials said.
"The problem is that the government and the management have no will for
dialogue," Kim Dal-sik, a union leader, said. "We have no choice but to go on a
strike as they stay away from negotiations."
He added that details of the planned walkout, including the timing and the exact
method, will be decided later by its leadership.
The move was prompted by an apparent suicide by hanging by a 37-year-old truck
driver early this month. He was found in Daejeon on May 3 while he was wanted by
police on charges of organizing illegal protest rallies after 78 Korea Express
drivers were fired.
Kim said "a general strike is not the final goal," indicating that the group may
retract the strike call if the government and the management accept their demand
for talks.
The union staged a weeklong strike in June last year, calling for hikes in fuel
subsidies and transportation charges, dealing a serious blow to the country's
export-dependent economy.
(END)