Labor-Management Agreement Reached for Seoul Subway Line 9 Phases 2 and 3 Sections

Wage Increase Within 2.5% and Staff Expansion Agreed for Next Year... Normal Operation on the 6th

Seoul Metro announced on the 4th that it has reached a labor-management agreement with the Seoul Metro Line 9 Branch of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

Yonhap News

The labor and management parties have tentatively signed the agreement and plan to hold a ratification vote in the future. The voting date is undecided. As a result, the Seoul Metro Line 9 Branch will not participate in the general Seoul subway strike scheduled for the 6th.

The main issues between labor and management were wage increases and workforce expansion. After withdrawing the warning strike on the 28th of last month, the union and management held several rounds of negotiations and reportedly narrowed their differences on these two issues to reach an agreement.

According to the agreement, wages will be increased within 2.5% of the total labor cost, which is the policy increase rate. Workforce expansion will be carried out next year after consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Son Byung-hee, Head of Line 9 Operations, stated, "We did our best in negotiations to prevent the strike from materializing and causing inconvenience to citizens," and added, "We will actively consult with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to increase the workforce." Kim Sung-min, Head of the Line 9 Branch, said, "Since the agreement was reached based on trust between labor and management, we will maintain a healthy labor-management relationship."

Regarding Seoul Subway Line 9, the first phase section (Gaehwa Station to Sinnonhyeon Station) is operated by Seoul Metro Line 9, while the second and third phase sections (Sinnonhyeon Station to Jungang Veterans Hospital Station) are operated by Seoul Metro.