The Cargo Solidarity branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Transport Workers' Union and BGF Logistics returned to the bargaining table but adjourned empty-handed after 4 hours and 30 minutes, during which they essentially reaffirmed their positions. Voices were raised and shouting broke out at times.
On the afternoon of the 24th, Cargo Solidarity and BGF Logistics met for negotiations at a hotel in Palyong-dong, Uichang-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. BGF Logistics is the logistics subsidiary of BGF Retail, the operator of CU convenience stores.
The meeting was arranged two days after their first working-level talks in Daejeon, which followed a meet-and-greet held on the 22nd at the Jinju office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The session began at 2 p.m. and ended around 6:34 p.m.
Around 6:30 p.m., just before the session ended, shouting erupted in the meeting room. Kim Jong-in, chair of the policy bargaining committee, said, \"Shouting broke out because we could not reach an agreement.\"
At the talks, Cargo Solidarity presented demands that included improving transportation and movement conditions for CU on-site union members. The parties reviewed the proposed terms for a collective agreement, but they did not reach a deal.
A BGF Logistics representative said, \"We will participate in negotiations in good faith going forward,\" but declined to clarify whether the company viewed the discussions as formal working-level talks or as consultations. Earlier, BGF Logistics had emphasized that it had only engaged in consultations with Cargo Solidarity rather than formal working-level negotiations, drawing a line over whether the union qualified as a bargaining counterpart.
Cargo Solidarity and BGF Logistics are expected to resume working-level talks on the 26th. Meanwhile, BGF Logistics has filed for an injunction seeking to prohibit the union from interfering with its operations. Cargo Solidarity says it will continue its campaign until the company withdraws the injunction and engages in sincere negotiations.
