Ready-mix concrete trucks sit idle at a concrete company in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, on June 8, after the National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Workers' Union launched a work stoppage to demand higher transport fees and a new collective bargaining agreement. [Yonhap]
Ready-mix concrete trucks sit idle at a concrete company in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, on June 8, after the National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Workers' Union launched a work stoppage to demand higher transport fees and a new collective bargaining agreement. [Yonhap]

Tentative deal sets 4,200-won-per-trip raise, renegotiation after 8 months

Union members vote Monday; result expected in the afternoon

Negotiations over ready-mix concrete transport fees in the Greater Seoul area are moving toward a resolution. The concrete industry and the National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Workers' Union reached a second tentative agreement faster than expected, easing fears of a prolonged strike — though whether operations fully normalize depends on the outcome of a union membership vote held Monday.

Union members began voting on the second tentative agreement at 9 a.m. Monday, according to the concrete industry. Late Sunday night, the two sides reached the deal under mediation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, agreeing to raise the per-trip transport fee by 4,200 won — the same increase as in the first tentative agreement — but shortening the contract period to eight months. The raise rate of 5.5 percent, or 4,200 won per trip, is unchanged from the first proposal; only the duration differs.

The first tentative agreement had assumed a one-year term, while the second cuts that to eight months, running from July 1 through Feb. 28 next year. The revised deal is widely seen as a compromise designed to defuse internal opposition among union members by keeping the raise intact while shortening the commitment period.

Industry officials believe the union leadership put forward the eight-month proposal to placate members who grew more vocal after rejecting the first agreement. The industry had initially been reluctant to return to the table after that rejection, but mounting disruptions at construction sites across the Greater Seoul area and continued government mediation brought both sides back sooner than anticipated.

"The biggest difference from the first agreement is that this one leaves room for another raise after eight months — that's what gave the union leadership something to offer its members," one industry official said. "The mood suggests approval is likely, but internally no one is willing to predict the outcome."

The two sides had reached the first tentative agreement on June 9, agreeing to raise the per-trip fee by 4,200 won. But a membership vote held June 10 drew 7,222 of 7,517 eligible union members, and the proposal was rejected — 2,213 in favor against 4,931 opposed, a rejection rate of 68.3 percent.

After that rejection, the refusal to haul concrete spread across the Greater Seoul area, disrupting construction schedules at 117 sites where concrete pours were delayed or halted. Ready-mix concrete must be delivered and poured within a short window after production, meaning any breakdown in transport immediately stalls work on site.

The urgency of those disruptions drove the government, industry and union leadership to reach a second agreement quickly. The Greater Seoul area accounts for more than half of all domestic ready-mix concrete demand, and a prolonged transport stoppage would inevitably affect not only housing and commercial projects but also large industrial sites such as semiconductor factories.

The prospect of renegotiation in eight months, however, remains a complicating factor. Even if the current proposal passes, the transport fee debate could flare up again when the agreement expires at the end of February next year. For manufacturers, the deal reduces the immediate strike risk but leaves open the possibility of recurring pressure for fee increases over the medium term.

"The second tentative agreement came together quickly because the government, the industry and the union leadership all moved to prevent further damage on the ground," one industry official said. "But the real test is the membership vote. If it passes, we move toward normalizing transport. If it fails again, the disruption at construction sites will only get worse."

Another industry official said the eight-month deal was designed to give union members a sense that another negotiation remains within reach. "It may be enough to stop the strike for now, but the possibility of transport fee talks reigniting early next year is still very much alive," the official said.


hong@heraldcorp.com