'Withdrawal of Restructuring' Seoul Metro Union: "If Demands Are Ignored, Subway Strike on the 14th of Next Month"

Union "Urges Priority Resolution Through Dialogue"... Demands Withdrawal of Restructuring, National Funding for Public Service Costs, and Implementation of Youth New Hires

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metro Labor Union, which met the strike requirements last week with a favorable vote in the strike referendum, announced that it will go on strike on October 14 if the government and Seoul Metropolitan Government do not comply with the union's demands.

On the morning of the 23rd, the union held a press conference in the 12th-floor meeting room of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and stated, "We plan to go on strike on September 14 with demands including the withdrawal of restructuring by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, national government compensation for public service costs, and implementation of new youth recruitment." The union conducted the strike referendum from the 17th to the 20th, with 9,963 out of 10,889 registered union members participating, and 81.6% voting in favor, meeting the strike requirements.

However, the union expressed a position to prioritize seeking resolution through dialogue. The union said, "We will refrain from immediate strike action and urge the government and Seoul Metropolitan Government to resolve the issue through dialogue," adding, "The purpose of the struggle is to stop the wrong policies before halting the trains." They also added that they would consider public inconvenience and concerns about quarantine instability. The union emphasized, "We will carefully consider the increased congestion and the growing concerns about quarantine instability, but if our demands are ignored and dialogue is refused, we will not hesitate to carry out a full strike."

The union plans to conduct one-person protests at major subway stations starting from the 26th to urge resolution of the subway financial crisis and suspension of restructuring. The union said, "We plan to conduct simultaneous one-person protests with subway unions nationwide," and added, "Around the time of the regular session opening in early next month, we plan to hold relay protests and march campaigns around the National Assembly and Seoul City Hall to publicize the union's demands."

Earlier, Mayor Oh Se-hoon repeatedly conveyed that financial support would not be possible without self-help measures since his inauguration. In response, Seoul Metro prepared a self-help plan to reduce 1,539 employees, nearly 10% of the total workforce, and freeze wages. As Mayor Oh maintained a tough stance on financial support, Seoul Metro expanded the originally considered restructuring scale of about 1,000 employees.

In response, the union opposed, stating, "It is unacceptable that the government and city do not present support measures for the financial crisis caused by COVID-19 and shift responsibility to workers through restructuring such as workforce reduction and outsourcing." They particularly argued that among major urban railway operators, only Seoul Metro did not receive subsidies last year, and that loss compensation through restructuring is not acceptable.

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