Unionized construction workers will go on strike Wednesday to demand a better guarantee of labor rights, including due payment of wages, the nationwide union of construction workers said.

About 29,000 union members as well as non-members are expected to take part in the indefinite strike, with a massive rally in Seoul planned for Thursday, the union said.

The planned walkout comes after unionized truckers launched a separate strike Monday to demand higher trucking fees and a cut in fuel costs, among other issues.

The construction workers’ union accused the Lee Myung-bak government of poorly managing various state projects, such as one that refurbished the country’s four major rivers in a way that prevents flooding and preserves water resources.

Overdue wages from those projects accounted for 70 percent of all payment in arrears last year, the union said. Last year, union members reported 326 cases of overdue wages amounting to 39 billion won ($33.6 million), it said.

The union estimates a total of 166 billion won in wages fell into arrears last year, up from 94.9 billion won in 2007.

The union said it also plans to demand occupational health and safety insurance coverage for all construction workers, citing a death toll of 577 at construction sites last year.

Following President Lee Myung-bak, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik also expressed regrets over the strikes while presiding over a weekly Cabinet meeting.

“The strike will not only weigh on the livelihood of the people and the national economy, but badly affect the country’s sovereign ratings,” Kim said. (Yonhap News)

“Taking such difficult situations into account, I sincerely request those on strike to go back to work,” he added, while instructing the ministries concerned “to make full preparations for an emergency transportation system.” 

(Yonhap News)