SOKOR DELIVERY WORKERS TO GO ON STRIKE OVER PARKING ISSUE

Unionized delivery workers have voted to go on strike in protest against a ban on ground-floor parking at a mega apartment complex in eastern Seoul, their union said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Approximately 5,300 workers voted the previous day, and 77 percent approved a walkout, the union, associated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the country's second-largest labor union, said.

Around 2,000 workers will join the strike, the date of which will be determined later by the union's chief, the union said, adding that the union did not decide to stage an immediate walkout as the government has been working with logistics companies to come up with measures to solve the issue, according to the union.

The date for a walkout will be determined "in a manner to minimize inconvenience to customers," it said, adding that the delivery of fresh produce, around 10 percent of the total parcel volume, will be affected most by the strike.

The vote followed a month-long conflict between deliverymen and the residents of a more than 5,000-unit complex over a rule that requires delivery trucks to use only underground parking spaces for residents' safety.

Most of the delivery trucks, however, are unable to enter the underground parking garage due to the maximum height clearance, and delivery workers are forced to carry loads of packages from the complex's entrance to customers' doors, using carts. The two sides have been locking horns over the issue.

The residents have urged the workers to modify vehicles to clear the height limit or deliver packages using carts. The workers dismissed the demand as senseless and claimed that lower trucks posed greater health risks, not to mention it costs money, and carrying packages for a distance made them work longer hours.

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