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| ▲ Unionized Seoul Metro workers hold a news conference in downtown Seoul on Nov. 15, 2023, to announce their plan to go on a general strike on Nov. 22 in protest of their company's downsizing plans. (Yonhap) |
Seoul subway-strike
Unionized Seoul subway workers to launch general strike on Nov. 22
SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- Unionized Seoul subway workers said Wednesday they will go on a general strike on Nov. 22 in protest against their company's downsizing plans.
The walkout plan was announced in a news conference by the biggest of three labor unions of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, in front of Seoul City Hall.
The collective action will come after the union affiliated with the militant umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) staged a two-day "warning" strike last week in protest of the city-run company's bid to reduce its workforce by 13.5 percent, or 2,212 employees, by 2026 to address its chronic deficit.
Seoul Metro, saddled with a cumulative deficit of 18.4 trillion won (US$14 billion), has said downsizing is inevitable to normalize management, while the labor union claims a drastic cut in the workforce could lead to safety issues.
The company reportedly offered to increase the number of new recruits this year by 272 to 660, but the KCTU-affiliated union rejected the proposal, demanding a hiring increase of 868 by year's end in consideration of additional vacancies resulting from retirement.
The company is determined to reduce the number of employees through retirement under its long-term policy.
"The management has not offered any alternatives or solutions despite our two-day warning strike. If the Seoul city government and the company choose confrontation and suppression rather than dialogue and negotiation, an indefinite general strike will inevitably start on Nov. 22," union leader Myung Soon-pil said.
The general strike, if implemented, will be staged only by the KCTU-linked union, which has the largest number of members, with two other unions not joining them like in the warning strike.
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