Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon has for the first time stated that the Cargo Truckers Solidarity (Hwamul Yeondae) is indeed a labor union, addressing the debate triggered by the death of one of its members over whether the group qualifies as a union.
Asked by Seoul Economic Daily on Monday whether the Cargo Truckers Solidarity constitutes a union, Minister Kim replied by text message, "It is a labor union's struggle, and I will work to bring labor and management to the table." Kim is also reported to have said at the site of the member's accident on Saturday, "The union's struggle began as a call for dialogue."
The dispute over the union status of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity originated from a ministry briefing released Saturday. Addressing the member's accident and calls for negotiations with the prime contractor, the ministry characterized the matter as "a situation that goes beyond the prime-subcontractor negotiation issue under the Yellow Envelope Law," referencing small business owners and the self-employed.
Labor groups pushed back, arguing that the ministry had denied the union (the Cargo Truckers Solidarity) of truck drivers who qualify as workers. In a statement, the Cargo Truckers Solidarity noted, "The International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2024 cited the government's refusal to recognize truck drivers' organizations as unions as a problem and recommended that they be allowed to exercise freedom of association." The group added, "The Seoul High Court has also ruled that their activities constitute legitimate union activity by workers under the Trade Union Act."
The debate over the Cargo Truckers Solidarity's union status has resurfaced with each change of government. Successive administrations have considered the group an extra-legal union of individual business operators, on the grounds that it has not obtained a union establishment certificate. Without recognition as a union, it is also difficult to apply the Yellow Envelope Law (the revised Trade Union Act), which enables negotiations with prime contractors. Oh Min-kyu, head of the research office at the labor issues institute Haebang, countered, "The Cargo Truckers Solidarity is clearly a branch within the Public Service and Transport Workers' Union."
Labor ministry officials say the briefing materials created some misunderstanding. They explained that they had sought to clarify that the Cargo Truckers Solidarity had not yet obtained recognition of the prime contractor's employer status from the Labor Relations Commission — the procedure under the Yellow Envelope Law — and was therefore not in a position to negotiate with the prime contractor. The ministry said its position remains unchanged that the Cargo Truckers Solidarity can negotiate with prime contractors through the Labor Relations Commission process.
The Cargo Truckers Solidarity announced Monday that it would abruptly begin negotiations with BGF Logis. After an initial meeting at the Jinju Labor Office at 10 a.m. that day, the two sides were to enter working-level negotiations. The Cargo Truckers Solidarity said, "We demanded that Minister Kim Young-hoon, who visited the accident site on Saturday, restore the honor of the deceased member, uncover the truth, punish those responsible, accept our demands and withdraw damages claims against members." The group added, "Minister Kim promised a resolution at the ministry level."
