SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Thousands of South Korean truck drivers refused to work Saturday for the second straight day, disrupting operations at seaports and causing millions of dollars in export losses.
Truck drivers strike at a terminal in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday.
About 13,000 unionized truckers started a strike early Friday, demanding the government increase fuel subsidies, help raise transportation charges and introduce a minimum wage, according to the Korean Cargo Workers' Union, which spearheaded the shutdown.
Some non-unionized truckers also took part in the walkout, said the union and the government.
On Friday, 24,690 containers were moved in or out of the country's largest port of Busan, compared with the daily average of 34,290 before the strike, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. Busan handles more than 70 percent of South Korea's container traffic.
Daily container traffic dropped by about 90 percent in the western port of Pyeongtaek and the southern port of Gwangyang, said ministry official Hong Seok-ku.
Local television footage showed the docks clogged with containers piled high upon each other.
"It's stressful to look at the piles of containers. But the government hasn't listened to our voice," said union member Chung Hee-seon.
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The truckers' strike has already caused US$11 million in losses to exporters and US$3 million to importers, according to the Korea International Trade Association, a private association of local exporters and importers.
A two-week strike by about 6,000 truckers in May 2003 caused US$540 million in losses to exporters, the association said.
Chung said the union and the government had no immediate plans to meet Saturday.
Earlier this week, union leaders and government officials held several rounds of negotiations on the truckers' demands but failed to reach a breakthrough.
The government dispatched military trucks and used trains to transport cargo, and also plans to send police if striking workers prevent cargo from entering seaports and engage in other illegal activities.
The strike is the latest headache for President Lee Myung-bak, who has faced weeks of street demonstrations over his agreement to resume American beef imports.
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