Construction site disruptions are spreading rapidly as a work stoppage by the ready-mix concrete delivery union, which began on the 8th, continues.
According to the Construction Association of Korea on the 13th, the collective work stoppage by union members of the National Ready-Mix Concrete Delivery Union in the Seoul metropolitan area halted concrete supply at 117 construction sites operated by 25 major builders as of 5 p.m. the previous day. As a result, concrete pouring of about 160,000 cubic meters was delayed. Converted into mixer trucks, this amounts to about 26,200 vehicles.
There are more than 19,000 construction sites currently underway in the Seoul metropolitan area. The association believes the actual disruption will be greater when accounting for builders that have not submitted damage reports. The association said disruptions have already occurred at a significant number of sites and expressed concern that some sites would face an inevitable full shutdown if the work stoppage continues into next week.
In response, the association held an "Emergency Industry Meeting on the Seoul Metropolitan Ready-Mix Concrete Delivery Refusal" on the same day, discussing construction site damage and response measures with officials from 13 major builders. Participants called for an immediate withdrawal of the work stoppage while also requesting government support for an early resumption of negotiations. They also called on the government to 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 the requirements for installing batch plants at large national projects and urban sites.
In particular, the association expressed concern, saying, "If construction is halted even at sites of core national high-tech industries such as the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek campus and the SK hynix Yongin semiconductor cluster, it could lead to irreversible national damage amid the global competition for semiconductor supremacy."
According to the union, the ready-mix concrete union and the manufacturers on the management side have been continuing negotiations near Yangjae Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, from 2 p.m. on the same day, mediated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). The union is reportedly set to propose raising the delivery rate per trip by 5,200 won.
This is 1,000 won more than the increase (4,200 won) that labor and management tentatively agreed on the 9th but was rejected in a union members' vote. If the union's proposal is accepted, the delivery rate will rise 6.9% from the current 75,800 won to 81,000 won. However, with management unlikely to readily accept it, it remains uncertain whether an agreement will be reached on the same day. If mediation fails, negotiations could continue through the weekend.
