Rail Union and Korail Reach Dramatic Agreement... Morning Commute Trains Operating Normally

On the 28th, while the railway union's lawful struggle continues, a notice about train delays due to the railway union's work-to-rule action is displayed on the electronic board in the waiting room of Seoul Station. The Korea Railroad Workers' Union and the Seoul Metro Union, which began their lawful struggle on the 24th, have each announced strikes scheduled for the 2nd of next month and the 30th of this month, respectively. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The National Railway Labor Union withdrew the strike it had announced for the 2nd.

The Railway Union and Korail held overnight negotiations from the previous night until early morning at Korail's Seoul headquarters and reached a tentative agreement on wage and collective bargaining revisions.

Accordingly, the strike scheduled for 9 a.m. today was withdrawn, and the metropolitan area commuter trains during the morning commute will operate normally.

The railway labor and management reached an agreement around 4:30 a.m. after overnight negotiations brought their opinions closer on these key issues.

Regarding the biggest issue of including the increased wages from the court's ruling on ordinary wage payments in labor costs, Korail agreed to prepare a phased resolution plan over three years in consultation with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.

Concerning the death accident of an employee at Uiwang Obong Station, the union's demand to increase manpower so that the 'shunting work' of separating or coupling trains is done by a team of three instead of two was accepted by management, which promised to increase personnel to enable three-person teams. Additionally, the working environment within Obong Station premises will be improved.

Kim Sun-wook, Policy Director of the Railway Union, said, "The strike has been withdrawn, and trains will operate normally," adding, "The tentative agreement on wage and collective bargaining reached today will be finally decided after a ratification vote by union members."

The reason the Railway Union called off the strike at the last minute appears to be due to concerns over public opinion worsening as traffic disruptions would be inevitable if the strike proceeded. It is also expected that the Seoul Metro Union's withdrawal of its strike after just one day, which began on the 30th of last month, influenced this decision.

Korail stated, "Train operations such as KTX and Saemaeul-ho are inevitably affected," and added, "We will gradually return to normal."