safe rates

KPTU-TruckSol member killed during strike action

Mark_D — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:50:45 +0000

KPTU-TruckSol member killed during strike action

KPTU-TruckSol member run over, two more injured, after police forcibly break sit-down protest.

A Korean trade union member was killed on Monday after he was run over when police forcibly pushed workers engaged in a sit-down protest at a logistics centre in Southern Gyeongsan Province, Korea.

The KPTU-TruckSol member was taking part in a strike protest at a CU Logistics Centre, part of a strike action by TruckSol CU members which has been underway since April 5.

Two other TruckSol members were injured in the collision with a 2.5 tonne box truck replacement transport vehicle, which police present at the scene had allowed to depart. The union member was run over, and by the time he arrived at a local hospital his heart had stopped.

“This is an absolutely tragic death which simply should never have happened. Our movement has lost a trade unionist who was in the middle of peacefully and lawfully demanding that the rights of the workers he represents must be upheld,” said ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton.

ITF Regional Secretary for the Asia-Pacific, Scott McDine, said: “Our deepest condolences go out to our brother’s family, colleagues and friends, and to all the members of KPTU-TruckSol, who are understandably shocked, deeply saddened and angry at what has happened. It is vital that there is a serious investigation into precisely what has happened, and that anyone bearing responsibility is held to account.”

The strike action was against dire working conditions for truck drivers and a refusal to meet a request for collective bargaining by BGF Retail – which instead sought to worsen conditions further while also initiating damages suits against striking workers.

KPTU-TruckSol members delivering goods for convenience store chain, CU, work at the bottom of a three-tier contracting chain, with BGF Retail (the CU convenience store operator) at the top, followed by BGF Logis (logistics subsidiary), subcontracted trucking companies, and owner drivers at the bottom.

Drivers must cover all the costs of operations, which requires them to make two runs a day – one run would mean operating at a loss – and work upwards of 13 hours, to make around KRW 3 million (USD2,000) per month. Drivers regularly work night shifts without allowances and work an average of 25-26 days a month with minimal breaks.

Drivers cannot rest when they are sick because they are responsible for the costs of hiring a replacement driver, while they also endure extreme weather conditions and regularly engage in loading and unloading tasks, leading to severe occupational safety and health (OSH) related issues.

Flemming Overgaard, President of 3F Transport, Denmark, and ITF Road Transport Section Chair, said: “Words cannot express how deeply saddening and troubling our brother's death is.

"While this should never have happened, I believe that our fellow union member would have wanted all of us to continue the fight he was leading – to stand in solidarity with KPTU-TruckSol, the fight for Safe Rates and the fair working conditions KPTU-TruckSol members deserve. This is a fight that we will support until KPTU-TruckSol drivers win what should be theirs by right."

Mark_D 22 Apr 2026

ITF welcomes return of Safe Rates in South Korea – strong enforcement, further expansion needed

barton_linda — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:45:45 +0000

ITF welcomes return of Safe Rates in South Korea – strong enforcement, further expansion needed

The implementation of Safe Rates for container and bulk cement transport in Korea marks an important step towards improving fair pay, good jobs and road safety for truck drivers.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) welcomes the re-introduction of Safe Rates – a system that guarantees decent pay for all the time drivers work – as an urgently needed measure to address the dangerous cost-cutting pressures that have plagued the industry since 2022 when the system was temporarily abolished.

During that period, low-cost tendering practices rapidly returned, driving freight rates down by as much as 35% and placing immense pressure on drivers to work longer and more dangerous hours to make ends meet. However, from 1 February 2026, the system will be back in place.

“The Korean Safe Rates system protects the rights of truck drivers and the safety of road-using public”, said KPTU-TruckSol President, Dongguk Kim.

“While we welcome the implementation of safe rates for containers and cement, we can’t stop here. We now have the urgent task of enforcing these rates on the ground while also mounting a fierce struggle to make sure the system is permanent and expand its coverage. This includes working to bring Safe Rates to road transport workers globally.”

A recent survey of drivers conducted by the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union Cargo Truckers’ Solidarity Division (KPTU-TruckSol) found that in the absence of safe rates, 77% of drivers experienced an increase in working time, while 78% reported increased instances of microsleep while driving after the loss of the first Safe Rates system. The same proportion reported a rise in accident risks linked to long hours, night-time driving, speeding and overloading. Hundreds of lives have been lost in truck crashes during this period.

Under the newly announced Safe Rates, drivers’ net pay is expected to increase by around 11%. While this increase is significant and welcome, it still falls short of what is needed to compensate for the sharp drop in earnings and the rising cost of living since the system was abolished in 2022.

After mass protests that led to the removal of former Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, legislation was passed in July 2025 to reintroduce the Safe Rates system. While the ITF welcomed this decision as a positive step forward, it is disappointed that the law once again makes the system temporary and limits its application to just two sectors, covering less than 6% of the professional truck drivers.

The ITF urges the Korean government to work with lawmakers, unions and other industry stakeholders to make the Safe Rates system permanent and to expand its coverage to all professional truck drivers. Only then can it ensure fair pay, safe roads and decent jobs for the workers who keep its economy moving.

For the system to deliver real improvements, enforcement will be critical” said Flemming Overgaard, ITF Road Transport Section Chair.

“The ITF calls on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to take an active role in ensuring that clients and transport companies comply with the published standards – including preventing the undercutting of rates through hidden mechanisms such as increased fees or charges imposed on drivers.

“We will continue our global campaign for Safe Rates with an action week in July 2026”.

#SafeRatesSaveLives

ENDS

Notes to Editor

What are Safe Rates? 

Guaranteeing Safe Rates mean drivers are paid fairly for all the time they work, allowing them to make enough money to drive safely and support their families. If drivers own their own vehicles, Safe Rates are calculated to ensure that they can cover the cost of purchasing, maintaining, and operating them. Safe Rates can be guaranteed through multi-stakeholder agreements, or legal regulatory systems which:

Set standards for pay and conditions that are fair and equal for all drivers
Hold all industry stakeholders accountable, including the companies at the top of road transport supply chains
Include strong provisions on monitoring and enforcement
Involve unions in the process of setting, monitoring, and enforcing standards.

barton_linda 02 Feb 2026

safe rates

Road Transport

Asia Pacific

Unions rally globally for fair pay, good jobs and safe roads

Rosalyn Smith — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:34:55 +0000

Unions rally globally for fair pay, good jobs and safe roads

A week of action demanding fair pay and decent working conditions for drivers to tackle fatigue launches today spearheaded by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and affiliated road transport unions.

The 2025 ITF Safe Rates Action Week (19-25 June) launches today, backed by dozens of unions and campaigns worldwide. Timed to coincide with the European Transport Workers’ Federation’s Day of Action against Driver Fatigue on 21 June, the week will focus on mobilising workers. It also calls on governments, businesses, and civil society to confront the commercial pressures threatening lives on the roads and adopt ‘Safe Rates’ that guarantee fair pay and decent working conditions to keep drivers and the public safe.

“Pressure from low pay, poor working conditions, and lack of rest is killing drivers,” said Flemming Overgaard, ITF Road Transport Section Chair. “The data shows it, and drivers are living it. In Europe, 60% of truck drivers and 66% of bus and coach drivers report regularly driving while fatigued. Governments and companies can change this situation and save lives by setting fair and safe standards for pay and conditions and working together to enforce them.”

“For too many professional drivers, every day is the longest day. Fatigue is systematically built into their working conditions. This is a safety crisis created by unfair pay, poor enforcement, unreasonable pressure, and supply chains that prioritise the lowest price over a sustainable road transport industry,” said Livia Spera, ETF General Secretary.

A dangerous industry pushed to the brink

New ITF-commissioned research, Commercial Pressures, Working Conditions, and Safety Risks in the Road Transport Industry, reveals the shocking conditions faced by drivers globally:

In India, commercial vehicles account for 23% of all road deaths despite making up just 4.4% of vehicles on the roads. Truck drivers report working 16-20 hours a day, making monthly salaries as low as USD67, and facing informality, poor vehicle conditions and widespread corruption.
In Kenya, road fatalities jumped 17% between 2019 to 2023, driven in part by low pay and algorithmic pressure in ride-hailing apps. Forty-nine percent of ride-hailing workers surveyed admitted to falling asleep at the wheel, while 81.5% experienced fatigue.
In Brazil, self-employed truck drivers report being unable to earn enough money to cover the cost of their vehicles. Explaining the impact one worker said, the driver “is sleepy, tired… he does not eat right, gets stressed, nervous, accidents happen.”

These findings underline the root cause of fatigue and road crashes lies not with individual drivers, but with an industry structure in which a few powerful companies profit by squeezing pay and imposing unsafe schedules, while workers and the public pay with their lives.

The study also shows that the Safe Rates systems that sets fair standards for pay and conditions can lead to real improvements:

In South Korea, after the Safe Rates system was introduced, the number of drivers regularly falling asleep at the wheel fell by 25.8%. Speeding and overloading also decreased significantly.
In New South Wales, Australia, the Safe Rates system saved at least 205 lives that would have been lost in articulated truck crashes over recent years. New legal amendments promise to expand these positive outcomes on a national scale.

A week of global action

The ITF Safe Rates Action Week kicks off with a launch event in Berlin on 19 June, followed by an event, The Danger is Rolling Towards Us, co-hosted by the German union ver.di and the ETF at the Euro-Park Rasthof in Herbolzheim on 20 June.

Outreach to drivers will take place throughout the week in corridors and border areas in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Arab world. Protest, action, tripartite stakeholder forums and other events are planned in several countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Nepal, South Korea and Uganda demanding legal reforms and industry accountability.

The ITF is calling on all road transport workers, unions and supporters around the world to join the campaign, with resources and materials available at a new Safe Rates campaign website.

“The way forward is clear: Safe Rates save lives,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary. “When drivers are paid fairly, they don’t have to speed, skip rest, or risk their lives to make ends meet. Governments and industry stakeholders must act now to set and enforce fair standards in road transport together. We call on companies who depend on road transport to work with the ITF to make road transport fair, safe, sustainable and inclusive.”

#SafeRatesSaveLives

Notes

What are Safe Rates? 

Set standards for pay and conditions that are fair and equal for all drivers
Hold all industry stakeholders accountable, including the companies at the top of road transport supply chains
Include strong provisions on monitoring and enforcement
Involve unions in the process of setting, monitoring, and enforcing standards.

Rosalyn Smith 18 Jun 2025

Bring back an expanded Safe Rates system!

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 16:59:31 +0000

Bring back an expanded Safe Rates system! etheridge_renn… 13 Jun 2025

Between 2020-2022, the South Korean Safe Rates System improved the lives of truck drivers. Research commissioned by the ITF shows Safe Rates made the roads safer for everyone. The overloading of trucks fell by 61%. Speeding fell by 39%. Drivers worked 17.3 less hours a month and fatigue dropped by 25.76%. The Korean Safe Rates system was setting an example for countries around the world, contributing to positive moves towards similar systems in countries like Australia, Japan and Kenya.

If the system had been allowed to continued, Safe Rates would have saved countless lives in Korea. But the authoritarian government of President Yoon Suk Yeol abolished it at the end of 2022. Since then the roads are more dangerous for everyone while Korean truck drivers and their families suffer.

Road transport workers in the gig economy are also suffering from low and unpredictable pay, pressures to violate traffic laws and high occurrences of occupational accident and death.

The impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol and election of Democratic Party presidential candidate on 3 June means Korea has a chance to make things right. The government must protect the rights of road transport workers and save lives on the road.

Tell President Lee and the National Assembly to introduce an expanded Safe Rates System covering all of road transport.

----------------------------------

PETITION:

Now is the time! Expand the Safe Rates system

The ITF and its affiliates are calling on the Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party and the Korean National Assembly to immediately reintroduce and expand the Korean Safe Rates System.

Korean Safe Rates is a world-leading system, which implements ILO principles on decent work and road safety and has been a model for other countries to follow. Data shows that the Korean Safe Rates System made Korean roads safer by reducing speeding, overloading, monthly working time and driver fatigue.

Since the end of the Safe Rates system driver pay has dropped forcing truck drivers to drive longer, speed and overload to make ends meet, putting their lives and the lives of other road users at risk. We see the same problem in app-based delivery, where low and unstable pay and pressure from apps has made the sector rife with occupational accidents and deaths.

We call on the Korean government, Democratic Party and National Assembly members to act now to enact an expanded Safe Rates system covering all truck drivers, and introduce a similar system for app-based food delivery.

safe rates

COMMERCIAL PRESSURES, WORKING CONDITIONS, AND SAFETY RISKS IN THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:51:30 +0000

COMMERCIAL PRESSURES, WORKING CONDITIONS, AND SAFETY RISKS IN THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY etheridge_renn… 12 Jun 2025

safe rates

English

THE IMPACT OF THE SOUTH KOREAN SAFE RATES SYSTEM ON INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND ROAD SAFETY

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:41:44 +0000

THE IMPACT OF THE SOUTH KOREAN SAFE RATES SYSTEM ON INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND ROAD SAFETY etheridge_renn… 12 Jun 2025

safe rates

English

ROAD SAFETY AND SAFE RATES IN THE KENYAN RIDE-HAILING SECTOR

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:39:59 +0000

ROAD SAFETY AND SAFE RATES IN THE KENYAN RIDE-HAILING SECTOR etheridge_renn… 12 Jun 2025

safe rates

English

ROAD SAFETY AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE INDIAN TRUCKING INDUSTRY

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:38:21 +0000

ROAD SAFETY AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE INDIAN TRUCKING INDUSTRY etheridge_renn… 12 Jun 2025

safe rates

English

ROAD TRANSPORT IN BRAZIL: REALITIES AND CHALLENGES

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:25:46 +0000

ROAD TRANSPORT IN BRAZIL: REALITIES AND CHALLENGES etheridge_renn… 12 Jun 2025

safe rates

English

THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE WITH ROAD TRANSPORT SAFETY AND RELATED INDUSTRIAL REFORM

etheridge_rennie@itf.org.uk — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:17:30 +0000

THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE WITH ROAD TRANSPORT SAFETY AND RELATED INDUSTRIAL REFORM etheridge_renn… 12 Jun 2025

safe rates

English

safe rates

KPTU-TruckSol member killed during strike action

KPTU-TruckSol member run over, two more injured, after police forcibly break sit-down protest.

ITF welcomes return of Safe Rates in South Korea – strong enforcement, further expansion needed

Notes to Editor

Unions rally globally for fair pay, good jobs and safe roads

A week of action demanding fair pay and decent working conditions for drivers to tackle fatigue launches today spearheaded by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and affiliated road transport unions.

Bring back an expanded Safe Rates system!

INDIAN GOVERNMENT: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DECENT WORK AND ROAD SAFETY

COMMERCIAL PRESSURES, WORKING CONDITIONS, AND SAFETY RISKS IN THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY

THE IMPACT OF THE SOUTH KOREAN SAFE RATES SYSTEM ON INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND ROAD SAFETY

ROAD SAFETY AND SAFE RATES IN THE KENYAN RIDE-HAILING SECTOR

ROAD SAFETY AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE INDIAN TRUCKING INDUSTRY

ROAD TRANSPORT IN BRAZIL: REALITIES AND CHALLENGES

THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE WITH ROAD TRANSPORT SAFETY AND RELATED INDUSTRIAL REFORM