Seoul Subway Union "General Strike on the 9th of Next Month"... Concerns Over Traffic Chaos

Joint Labor Union Negotiation Team Press Conference
"Full-scale Struggle to Prevent Workforce Reduction"

The Seoul Metro Workers' Union, which is responsible for operating the Seoul subway, has decided to go on a general strike starting at midnight on the 9th of next month. If the corporation and the union fail to reach an agreement on the workforce reduction plan by that date, subway operations are expected to be disrupted.

The representatives of the two major labor unions of Seoul Metro held a press conference on the 18th at Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall, announcing that they will go on a general strike to prevent workforce reduction. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

On the 18th, the joint bargaining team consisting of the Seoul Metro Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Seoul Metro Integrated Union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) held a press conference and announced, "We will launch a joint general strike to block workforce reductions starting from the 9th of next month." The day before, the joint bargaining team, together with the third union, the Correct Labor Union, passed a strike action vote related to the failure of the 2023 wage and collective bargaining negotiations with a 73.4% approval rate.

Lee Yang-seop, chairman of the Integrated Union, stated at the press conference, "The government and Seoul city, which guarantee the mobility rights of the vulnerable, should bear the transportation welfare costs, not Seoul Metro." Myung Soon-pil, chairman of the Metro Workers' Union, argued, "Thousands of workforce reductions and large-scale outsourcing of safety tasks cannot guarantee safe subway services."

The Seoul Metro Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Seoul Metro Integrated Union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) held a general strike press conference in front of Seoul City Hall on the 18th. Photo by Kiho Sung kihoyeyo@

The labor and management have been at an impasse over the workforce reduction issue. The corporation insists that workforce reduction is inevitable for business normalization amid a large deficit. As of last year, the corporation's accumulated deficit amounted to 17.608 trillion won. Accordingly, it proposed a plan to reduce 2,211 employees, which is 13% of the corporation's workforce, by 2026 to the union. The union has opposed this, saying it "ignores the 2021 and last year's labor-management agreements not to enforce forced restructuring."

Currently, the two unions are taking steps toward a strike. On the 19th, the Metro Workers' Union will hold a general meeting of its members, and on the 26th, the Integrated Union will hold a field executive meeting.

However, even if a strike occurs, the subway will not come to a complete halt. According to the essential maintenance work system, a minimum workforce of about 30% of the total staff will be maintained during the strike. Seoul Metro plans to operate normally during rush hours and reduce operation rates to about 80-85% of usual levels during other times.

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