Amid This, Will the Lunar New Year Holiday See an 'Airport Crisis'... 10 Airports' Unions in the Southern Region Announce Total Strike

NamBu Gonghang Service National Airport Union to Vote on General Strike on February 1... Strike to Begin on the 10th

Labor Side: "Same Work, Different Wage Systems Must Be Unified, Wage Data Should Be Disclosed Step-by-Step"

Management Side:

Picket protest taking place at Gimpo Airport.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The Southern Region National Airport Union has announced a strike, raising the risk of an "airport chaos" during the Lunar New Year holiday.

As the Southern Airport Services National Airport Union pushes for a strike at 10 airports in the southern region, disruptions are expected in connection with the metropolitan area airports, effectively paralyzing domestic air routes.

The Southern Airport Services Union, a subsidiary of Korea Airports Corporation responsible for 10 southern region airports including Gimhae, Jeju, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Pohang, plans to hold a general strike vote on the 1st of next month and commence a full strike from the 10th, coinciding with the Lunar New Year holiday.

The union has consistently demanded the disclosure of wage-related data from management to unify the bifurcated wage system between employees converted to regular positions from subcontractors last year and those whose employment was transferred from the subsidiary since 2017, in order to negotiate wages.

Union Chairman Jeong Su-yong stated, "We cannot conduct transparent wage negotiations because management refuses to disclose the data," adding, "We cannot trust the offer of 1.2 billion KRW in available funds for one year, which was presented only after six rounds of failed negotiations."

Cho Young-jin, President of Southern Airport Services, said, "Individual wage data of workers is personal information that cannot be disclosed," and added, "The union is preparing for a strike while demanding additional resources and even campaigning for the president's resignation."

President Cho claimed in a text message to employees that "In the first half of last year, we already reflected the demands made by the airport union for workers in the 'Facilities' and 'Operations' parts by raising their salaries."

The management is bewildered by the union's strike announcement amid the unpredictable difficulties caused by COVID-19.

If the strike materializes, about 600 out of approximately 1,300 workers at 10 airports in the Honam, Yeongnam, and Jeju regions will stop working.

A management official said, "Due to COVID-19, southern region airports have been operating at half capacity and their deficits are increasing, so we cannot understand whether it is right to hold the public hostage with a strike starting from the Lunar New Year holiday."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.