As a work stoppage by the ready-mix concrete transport union entered its fifth day, the Construction Association of Korea held an "Emergency Industry Meeting on the Seoul Metropolitan Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Refusal" with officials from 13 major builders to discuss the damage to construction sites and response measures. Participants called for an immediate withdrawal of the work stoppage while requesting government support.
According to the Construction Association of Korea on Wednesday, ready-mix concrete supply was halted at 105 construction sites operated by 22 major builders as of the previous day, due to the collective work stoppage by Seoul metropolitan members of the National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Union. As a result, concrete pouring of about 100,000 cubic meters has been delayed, disrupting construction schedules.
The Construction Association of Korea said process disruptions have already occurred at most sites, and that some sites would inevitably face a full shutdown if the work stoppage continues into next week. Meeting participants called for an immediate withdrawal of the work stoppage while urging government support for an early resumption of negotiations. They also demanded that the government adopt supply stabilization measures, including shortening the review cycle for adjusting the supply of ready-mix concrete mixer trucks from the current two years to one year, and easing requirements for installing batch plants at large state-led projects and urban sites.
In particular, the association expressed concern, saying, "If construction is halted even at national core advanced-industry sites such as Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek campus and SK hynix's Yongin semiconductor cluster, it could lead to irreversible national damage amid the global competition for semiconductor supremacy."
The Korea Construction Management Association, which counts 26 major builders as members, also demanded that the government prepare effective measures to minimize damage at sites.
The association issued a statement that day, saying, "Given the nature of construction processes, a halt in ready-mix concrete supply can cause a chain of damage beyond simple schedule delays, including quality deterioration, rising construction costs, and management difficulties for subcontractors," adding, "If the transport refusal is prolonged, the burden will grow across the national economy."
It continued, "A reasonable solution must be reached through sufficient dialogue and mutual concessions between labor and management," and urged, "Authorities should pursue forward-looking institutional improvements, such as lifting and easing supply controls on ready-mix concrete mixer trucks, to fundamentally resolve the supply shortage problem."
According to the union, the ready-mix concrete union and the manufacturers on the management side resumed negotiations near Yangjae Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, under mediation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).
The union is said to be planning to propose raising the transport unit price by 5,200 won per trip. If the union's proposal is accepted, the transport unit price would rise 6.9% from the current 75,800 won to 81,000 won.
