FIRST CORRECTIVE ORDER FOR LABOR UNION

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The FTC has imposed a fine and ordered corrective measures against members of the Busan office of the Korean Construction Workers Union under the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions for protesting the use of construction machinery affiliated with other organizations. They saw the labor union as a 'business entity' comprised of businesses, and said such acts are prohibited for business entities. This will inevitably have an impact on the investigation into the truckers' strike.

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An apartment construction site in Busan... Members of the Busan office of the Korean Construction Workers Union under the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions stage a rally at the entrance. They are protesting the use of construction machinery affiliated with other organizations. They have been pressuring builders this way by rallying at construction sites in Busan and Ulsan since 2020.

[Soundbite] Song Chi-young(Construction Machinery Individual Council) : "They halted their machinery if builders refused to use it. If that didn't work, they staged protests at contractors' other construction sites as well."

At another apartment construction site, the union members have notified the builder that the operation of its construction machinery and ready-mix concrete trucks would be suspended. The Fair Trade Commission has found that the construction company, worried about delays, gave in and eventually changed the terms and conditions of its contract. The FTC has imposed a fine of 100 million won on unionized heavy-equipment operators and ordered corrective measures for committing acts prohibited for business entities. The commission accused the union members of committing illegitimate acts to secure its monopoly and disrupting the market.

[Soundbite] Lee Tae-hui(Fair Trade Commission) : "Because of the builders' contract termination, businesses from rival organizations were expelled from the construction sites, and the members monopolized the construction machinery rental business, undermining competition."

It's the first time the FTC classified a labor union as a business entity and issued a corrective order. The commission is also investigating if the Cargo Truckers' Solidarity coerced its members to join the general strike. The FTC will likely classify the Cargo Truckers' Solidarity as a business entity as well to sanction it. However, strikes, as lawful acts of labor unions, could be viewed as an exception, meaning clashes are likely in the deliberation process.