"Beep, beep, beep. Do not approach. It is dangerous."
At 10 a.m. on the 9th, at an apartment construction site in Nowon District, Seoul. A large crane hoisted materials, and workers wearing hard hats moved busily around the site. Warning beeps from equipment and work noises continued across the site. But not a single mixer truck carrying ready-mix concrete was in sight.
Pouring work to place ready-mix concrete had been scheduled that day, but the schedule slipped after the capital-area ready-mix transport union halted deliveries. A site official said, "We are keeping the manpower in place for now," but noted, "If the pour stops, the next processes could be affected in sequence, so we are watching the situation."
With the capital-area ready-mix transport union stopping mixer truck operations from 8 a.m. the previous day, construction sites began adjusting their schedules. For now, they are proceeding first with tasks that are possible, such as rebar, formwork, and sorting materials, but there are concerns that if the transport halt drags on, construction disruptions will be unavoidable.
◇ Ready-mix transport union begins indefinite halt to deliveries
The National Ready-Mix Concrete Transport Workers' Union (Jeonunryeon) began an indefinite stoppage, demanding higher transport rates in the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon areas. About 11,000 mixer trucks have stopped running.
The fallout spread immediately to construction sites. Daewoo Engineering & Construction halted ready-mix concrete pouring processes in key areas of the capital region. Hyundai Engineering & Construction also stopped pouring at 30 of about 130 domestic construction sites. Samsung C&T likewise instructed sites to prioritize other work instead of pouring processes.
Ready-mix concrete pouring usually takes place during the structural frame stage. For apartment projects, that is the early phase around 15% to 20% progress. If concrete is not poured on time, the frame work is delayed, and subsequent interior and exterior finishing and equipment processes can also be pushed back in sequence.
A construction industry official said, "A one-day delay in pouring does not immediately stop the entire schedule, but if it lasts three to four days or more, rescheduling by site becomes inevitable," adding, "The earlier the structural frame stage, the greater the hit can be." Another industry official said, "If the pouring schedule keeps slipping, we have to redo plans for manpower and equipment," and added, "If it becomes prolonged, it could lead to on-site headcount adjustments."
Large factory construction sites are no exception. There are concerns that at major industrial facilities such as the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus and the SK hynix Yongin semiconductor cluster, disruptions in ready-mix concrete supplies could increase the burden of schedule management.
◇ The key issue is not transport rates but "bargaining status"
Jeonunryeon is demanding higher transport rates. But the industry says the crux of this situation lies less in the rates themselves than in "collective bargaining status."
Many ready-mix transport workers are special-type workers who operate personally owned mixer trucks. Ready-mix manufacturers have treated them as independent contractors rather than employees for that reason.
But the situation changed recently after the Seoul Administrative Court recognized ready-mix transport workers as employees under the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) also issued a union establishment certificate to Jeonunryeon in March. In effect, it recognized the union's official status.
Jeonunryeon argues that, as a formal union, management must engage in collective bargaining. Management, however, is pushing back. An appeal is underway over the first-instance ruling by the Seoul Administrative Court, and they say that demanding bargaining now is effectively a demand to abandon the appeal.
With both sides remaining far apart, anxiety is growing in the construction industry. The Construction Association of Korea asked the government to mediate to restart talks between Jeonunryeon and ready-mix manufacturers.
A Construction Association of Korea official said, "Until this situation is resolved, we will activate a hotline with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to check damage on the ground and coordinate responses."