Taxi worker ends 194-day tower protest in Incheon as labour review begins
In short
Taxi worker Go Yeong-gi (고영기) came down from a communications tower in Incheon on October 8 after a 194-day protest over working-time and pay rules, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. His union ended the protest after the launch of a government, employer, worker and expert task force to examine taxi-industry working conditions.
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Taxi worker Go Yeong-gi (고영기) ended a 194-day protest atop a communications tower in Incheon on October 8, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported in its evening update. He had been demanding changes to rules used to calculate taxi drivers' working hours and wages. The decision to end the protest followed the government's agreement to investigate working conditions and discuss changes. [ 4 ]
Go had climbed the tower on March 29 outside a Democratic Party lawmaker's constituency office in Namdong district. His union announced earlier on October 8 that he was expected to descend around 5 p.m. It said it would shift its focus to discussions on improving the system after a task force held its first meeting. [ 2 ]
Corporate taxi operators use deemed-working-time arrangements because drivers work away from their workplaces and their actual hours are considered difficult to measure, Yonhap reported. The union argues that this prevents drivers from receiving recognition for all the hours they work. Kyunghyang and Newsis reported the union's claim that drivers working 10 to 12 hours may have only two to three hours counted for wages. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Kyunghyang reported that the task force includes the labour and transport ministries, taxi-sector employers and workers, and experts. The union said the government had promised to pursue improvements to regulations and guidance based on the investigation's findings. It urged the task force to work reasonably and promptly. [ 1 ]
Yonhap also reported that police planned to examine whether Go and other union participants had violated laws governing assemblies and demonstrations. A police official said Go was expected to visit a hospital after ending the protest and that any confirmed violations would be handled through the appropriate procedures. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The union says drivers can work 10 to 12 hours while having only two to three hours recognised for pay under the deemed-working-time system. It says the government has promised to pursue changes to regulations and guidance based on the task force's findings.
Key facts
- Kyunghyang reported that Go Yeong-gi ended his 194-day tower protest on October 8. [ 4 ]
- He began the protest on March 29 outside a Democratic Party lawmaker's constituency office in Incheon's Namdong district. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The union says deemed-working-time arrangements can leave drivers paid for far fewer hours than they work. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- A task force on taxi working hours and labour conditions held its first meeting on October 8. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The union said it would focus on the task force's work after ending the tower protest. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Reports give different heights for the communications tower. Kyunghyang's afternoon report says 25 metres; Yonhap and Newsis describe about 20 metres.