BUSINESSES STRUGGLE AMID KCTU STRIKE

[Anchor Lead]

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union working for CJ Logistics have been on strike for nearly a month, causing disruptions in delivery and distribution chains. The strike especially hurts farmers who were anticipating a boom in the upcoming Seol holiday.

[Pkg]

Baskets are piled up high in this produce warehouse. The baskets contain black mushrooms. Half of these mushrooms should have been shipped out already, but they remain in storage. A lot of these mushrooms can no longer be sold at the right price since they have become unmarketable. In general, they are shipped out three days after harvest at most, but these mushrooms have become discolored after remaining in this warehouse for more than a week. The farmers package the mushrooms every day as ordered but they cannot estimate when the mushrooms will be shipped out. The primary reason is due to the ongoing CJ Logistics' strike.

[Soundbite] Choi Yeong-dae(Mushroom farmer) : "Freshness is key in produce like mushrooms. They grow soggy in the warehouse as shipment gets delayed."

It was late December when CJ Logistics went on strike. Ahead of the busy Seol holiday season, online cafes are flooded with consumer complaints claiming that they weren’t able to send or receive their holiday gifts. Other logistics companies are feeling the heat. Korea Post, which had limited the maximum number of daily deliveries to 190 packages per postal worker, had to remove this limit since early this month due to surging orders.

[Soundbite] Park Gyeong-mo(Korea Post Worker) : "The volume has increased by 30 to 40%. Now I have to deliver about 250 to 260 packages, not 190."

The CJ Logistics labor union said that the strike will continue until the management comes to the negotiating table. The logistical delays are frustrating people sending and receiving gifts especially during this holiday season.