Seoul Subway Line 1 Union Reaches Agreement on Wage and Working Conditions... Strike Called Off (Update)

The Seoul Metro Union 1 (1st Union), which had announced a general strike on the 6th, reached a dramatic agreement in wage and collective bargaining negotiations with management.

Seoul Metro Union 1 announced at 2 a.m. that day, "An agreement has been reached in the wage and collective bargaining negotiations with management." As a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Union 1 comprises the largest number of members (about 60%) among the three Seoul Metro unions.

On November 20, when the Seoul Metro Workers' Union operating lines 1 to 8 of the Seoul subway launched a compliance strike, citizens were using the subway at Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5 in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Union 1 began the final wage and collective bargaining negotiations with management at 4:10 p.m. the previous day at the Seoul Metro headquarters in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Since differences between labor and management were not resolved, they repeatedly recessed and resumed four times while holding internal meetings, ultimately reaching a final agreement at 2 a.m. the next day.

Accordingly, the strike that Union 1 had announced for that day will not take place.

Meanwhile, separate negotiations are ongoing with the Seoul Metro Integrated Union (2nd Union) and the Correct Union (3rd Union), which have not yet concluded. The 2nd Union will not strike as the members voted against it, but the 3rd Union had announced a general strike on that day if negotiations with management failed.