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| ▲ A poster inside a subway train in Seoul, seen on Nov. 8, 2023, calls for the withdrawal of a downsizing plan by Seoul Metro. (Yonahp) |
Seoul subway-strike
Unionized subway workers in Seoul stage 2-day strike in protest of downsizing plan
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, were to stage a two-day strike Thursday in protest of the company's downsizing plans.
Members of Seoul Metro's biggest labor union were scheduled to go on a "warning strike" from 9 a.m. to 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 a negotiation with the firm during the two-day strike.
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