The third day of the freighter strike, 8,100 people are gathering… Incheon Port Logistics Volume Decrease

On the afternoon of the 8th, the second day of the general strike of the Cargo Solidarity, members of the Freight Solidarity are engaged in a propaganda war in front of the Myeongchon main gate of Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan plant. [사진=연합뉴스]

Three days have passed since the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters (Cargo Solidarity) of the Public Transport Workers’ Union of the KCTU went on an indefinite strike.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 9th, as of 6 p.m. that day, 37% (8,100) of all cargo union members (about 22,000) are holding a rally in 160 places in 14 regions across the country.

The general strike has caused transportation disruptions at various front-line logistics sites such as the cement industry and the liquor industry.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, by 6 p.m. on the same day, the installation rate (actual storage ratio to container storage capacity of ports) in 12 major ports nationwide was 70.2%, which was 65.8% in normal times. Considering that the device rate at 10 am on the 7th, when the general strike started, was 68.1%, it is only a small increase. This is the aftermath of the shippers and others carrying out pre-transportation last weekend in preparation for a general strike.

However, depending on the assembly situation, some ports, such as Incheon Port, Busan Port, and Ulsan Port, locally interfered with the transportation of cargo, and the amount of cargo carried in and out has decreased compared to normal times.

For example, the cargo volume at the Incheon Port container terminal fell to 10-20% of the normal level. According to the Incheon Maritime and Fisheries Administration, from 5 p.m. the previous day to 10 a.m., Incheon Port’s container carry-in volume was 1157 TEU (1 TEU is equivalent to one 20-foot container), which is only 23% compared to 5048 TEU at the same time last month. Accordingly, the installation rate of the Incheon Port container terminal was 81.6%, 2.5 percentage points higher than the usual 79.1%, and in some container terminals, the installation rate once exceeded 90%.

This is because the Incheon Headquarters of the Cargo Solidarity is actively urging freight transport workers around Incheon Port to join the strike. The Incheon headquarters of the Cargo Solidarity also revealed that more than 90% of container transport workers in the Incheon area are participating in the general strike.

The cement and alcoholic beverage industry, which has been struggling with a decrease in logistics since the first day of the general strike, is preparing a plan to secure cargo stock. As cargo in and out of major liquor factories and warehouses was blocked due to the Cargo Solidarity’s assembly activities, large convenience stores such as GS25, CU, and 7-Eleven put their vehicles directly into logistics centers such as Hite Jinro Icheon and Cheongju factories to secure the quantity of alcoholic beverages. is leaning

7-Eleven is mobilizing its own logistics vehicles up to five times a day, 2-3 units at a time, and GS25 has been mobilizing 2.5 tons of logistics vehicles since the previous day. E-Mart 24 is also considering sending vehicles directly from the headquarters level. Nevertheless, the product shipment rate at Hite Jinro’s Cheongju plant has fallen to less than 40% compared to normal.

Accordingly, the Inter-ministerial Joint Central Transport Countermeasure Headquarters is emphasizing the policy of cooperating with the police to take out urgent cargo from major ports.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “Although there are some setbacks such as a decrease in shipments in items such as automobiles, steel and cement, it seems that the logistical damage has not yet started in earnest due to the effect of pre-transportation measures, etc.” We are blocking illegal activities and taking measures to protect vehicles in operation,” he explained.