Seoul Subway Strike Looms as Final Labor Talks Stall

If Final Talks Fail, First and Third Unions Plan General Strike

Negotiations between Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1 to 8 in Seoul, and its labor unions are facing difficulties.

Citizens are crowded using the train at Sindorim Station on Subway Line 1 in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On December 5, at approximately 4:13 p.m., Seoul Metro and its primary union, the Seoul Metro Labor Union, began their fifth main round of wage and collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations at the company’s Human Resources Development Center in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The management reportedly proposed a 2.5% wage increase in line with government guidelines but did not specify the scale of new safety personnel hires. The union is demanding a 6.6% wage increase, withdrawal of restructuring plans, normalization of workforce operations, and withdrawal of the single-operator system.

The primary union stated, "Management has not presented a clear stance on key issues such as expanding the recruitment of safety personnel and halting the implementation of the single-operator system. On the contrary, they have included some regressive proposals, such as rolling back job security provisions in the CBA and reducing vacation days." The union added, "The prevailing internal opinion was that these proposals are completely unacceptable. We have issued a final ultimatum that unless management presents improved or more forward-looking proposals, we will go on strike starting with the first train on December 6. The final round of negotiations is scheduled to resume at around 10 p.m."

Last-minute negotiations with the second and third unions have also repeatedly been adjourned. Choi Pyeongcheol, head of education and public relations for the second union, said, "Management brought regressive proposals, so we adjourned early. Their plan is to adjust vacation days to create a workforce substitution effect, but from our perspective, that is a regression." Song Siyoung, head of the third union, the Right Union, stated, "Through working-level talks, we had reached a certain level of mutual acceptance on issues such as wages, recruitment, and working conditions, but these were not reflected in the agreement. However, it is encouraging that a significant portion of our requested ‘Special Agreement on Overcoming Low Birth Rates and Work-Family Balance’ was included."

The final negotiations for the second and third unions will resume after 10 p.m., following the primary union’s talks. Both the first and third unions have announced that they will launch a general strike on December 6 if final negotiations break down. In the second union, a vote among members resulted in the rejection of the industrial action proposal.