Seoul Subway, KCTU Union Strike... Negotiation Sparks Remain

KCTU Declares Non-Participation Just Before Strike
Disagreement Among Unions Over Management's Agreement Proposal

The Seoul Transportation Corporation Labor Union, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and operating Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 8, will begin a two-day warning strike starting from the 9th. Following the breakdown of wage and collective bargaining negotiations the previous day, the union will strike from the daytime shift (09:00) on the 9th until the night shift (18:00) on the 10th.

However, the Seoul Transportation Corporation Integrated Union, affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), will not participate in this strike. The Integrated Union informed its members of the "Emergency Dispute Countermeasure Committee Resolution" on the same day, stating, "As a result of the Emergency Dispute Countermeasure Committee meeting, the Integrated Labor Union will not join the warning strike," and urged "all members to do their best in normal duties."

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@

The joint bargaining team, composed of the Corporation Union and the Integrated Union, held the final main negotiation at the headquarters in Seongdong-gu at 3 p.m. the previous day. However, just two minutes after starting, the meeting was adjourned by mutual agreement at the employer's request, and after reviewing the negotiation proposals, the talks were declared broken off around 9:13 p.m. The joint bargaining team entered discussions to create a final agreement but failed to reach a consensus.

The corporation proposed additional agreements including ▲660 new hires with about 270 additional personnel ▲wage erosion resolution ▲increased joint labor-management event funds and special rewards. The Integrated Union agreed to these proposals, but the Corporation Union opposed the agreement. Ultimately, the joint bargaining team decided to respect each union's decision through a final meeting.

The Corporation Union will hold a rally to resolve the general strike victory at 10:30 a.m. in front of Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu on the same day. The strike departure ceremony scheduled at the Sindap Annex in Seongdong-gu at the same time was canceled due to the Integrated Union's declaration of non-participation.

The Corporation Union is entering a strike for the second consecutive year following last year. However, unlike last year's full-scale strike, this year’s strike is a temporary warning strike. With the Integrated Union not participating, the scale of the strike has decreased compared to last year. The number of union members within the corporation is about 11,000 for the Corporation Union and about 2,000 for the Integrated Union. The third union, Olbareun Union, did not participate in the strike from the beginning.

The labor and management have been at an impasse over the issue of workforce reduction. The corporation insists that workforce reduction is inevitable for business normalization amid a large-scale deficit. The corporation’s accumulated deficit amounted to 17.608 trillion KRW as of last year. Accordingly, it proposed a plan to reduce 2,212 personnel, which is 13.5% of the corporation’s workforce, by 2026 to the unions.

The unions opposed this, arguing that the management is shifting the responsibility for worsening business conditions onto the workers. They also claimed that such workforce reduction plans would lead to safety issues in the long term.

Although the Integrated Union decided not to participate in the strike, inconvenience to Seoul subway operations seems inevitable. Labor and management previously signed a "Essential Maintenance Work Practical Agreement" in September. The corporation secured essential maintenance work and substitute personnel, maintaining 83% of the workforce compared to normal weekdays. This allows train operation rates during weekday morning rush hours (07:00?09:00) to be maintained at the usual 100% level. However, with fewer participants due to the Integrated Union’s non-participation, the operation rate may increase further.

Additionally, during the evening rush hours (18:00?20:00), seven standby trains will be on emergency standby to alleviate congestion caused by reduced operation rates. For Line 2, which experiences high congestion, five temporary trains (three inner circle and two outer circle) will be additionally deployed. During off-peak hours, operation rates will be reduced. The expected operation rate compared to normal times is 71.2%. During last year’s strike, the corporation aimed for 100% operation during morning rush hours and 72.7% during normal hours.