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| ▲ A subway train stops at a station in Seoul on Nov. 8, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ A notice at a platform in Seoul Station on Nov. 9, 2023, informs people about subway schedule changes during a two-day labor strike. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Seoul subway-strike
(LEAD) Unionized subway workers in Seoul stage 2-day strike in protest of downsizing plan
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with latest info; ADDS photos)
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, went on a two-day strike Thursday in protest of the company's downsizing plans.
Members of Seoul Metro's biggest labor union kicked off a "warning strike," which will continue till Friday evening, following the breakdown of their last-minute negotiations with the firm.
Subway services are expected to experience slowdowns during the walkout, especially during the evening and morning rush hours on Thursday and Friday, with the operation rate predicted at 87 percent of full capacity during the rush hours and 82 percent at other times.
Seoul Metro is planning to reduce its workforce by 13.5 percent, or 2,212 employees, by 2026 to address its chronic deficit, and normalize management and outsource some of its safety workforce.
The union claims a drastic cut in the workforce could lead to safety issues, demanding the withdrawal of the downsizing plan.
The two sides had sat down for a last-minute deal over those plans to avert a strike the previous day, but the meeting fell through without an outcome.
Thursday's strike marks the second walkout the union has staged since the previous general strike last year.
A union official said the warning strike aims to urge a "stance change" from the company and the Seoul city government, which runs Seoul Metro.
If Seoul Metro sticks to the downsizing plan, the union could go on another general strike sometime after the nationwide college entrance exam set for Nov. 16, the officials said.
He said the union will remain open to negotiations with the firm during the two-day strike.
Having initially pledged to join the strike, the subway operator's second-biggest union opted out of the collective action at the last minute after failing to bridge different negotiating terms with the bigger union.
During the labor-management negotiation the previous day, the two unions reportedly failed to reach an agreement between them on whether to accept a compromise proposed by Seoul Metro.
The biggest union, which is affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the nation's biggest umbrella union, has about 11,000 members, while the other has approximately 2,000 members affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.
The city and Seoul Metro have secured a workforce of about 13,500 non-striking and alternative workers to provide subway services with minimum inconveniences to people, the firm said.
The city also plans to expand bus services in the morning and evening rush hours during the walkout period.
"Due to a labor strike, the operation rate of subway lines 1-8 is expected to slow down," it said. "Seoul Metro will do its best to quickly normalize subway operations through dialogue with the union."
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