Agreement Reached Early Morning of 6th After Starting at 4 PM on 5th
Wage Increase to Follow Government Guidelines
The Seoul Metro Workers' Union (Union 1), which had announced a general strike on the 6th, reached a dramatic agreement with management on wage and collective bargaining (wage and collective agreement) negotiations, alleviating concerns about a 'subway chaos' during the morning commute. Management accepted the union's demands for additional staffing and the suspension of the single-operator system on Line 2.
Union 1 of Seoul Metro announced at 2 a.m. that day, "An agreement has been reached in the wage and collective bargaining negotiations with management." Union 1, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, comprises the largest number of members (about 60%) among the three unions of Seoul Metro. With the withdrawal of the strike by Union 1, which includes the majority of employees, the burden of chaos during the morning commute has been eased.
On the 20th, when the Seoul Metro Union operating lines 1 to 8 of the Seoul subway began a compliance strike, citizens were using the subway at Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5 in Seoul. The Seoul Metro Union will go on strike starting from the 6th of next month if dialogue is refused. Photo by Jo Yong-jun
The union stated, "Regarding the key issue of staffing, we reached a consensus to promptly hire about 630 new employees through additional recruitment corresponding to the number of vacancies along with the replacement of retirees."
The union also succeeded in halting the introduction of the single-operator system on Line 2, which it had raised safety concerns about. The union said, "We have confirmed the management representative's final position to suspend the introduction 'considering the safety of workers and passengers.'"
However, regarding the wage increase rate, management agreed to follow the public institution's personnel cost guideline of 2.5%. Previously, the union had expressed concerns that the company could not comply with government guidelines because it had exhausted resources to secure ordinary wage funds last year. According to the union, the company has applied wage increase rates below government guidelines from 2021 through last year. A union official added, "The shortfall was covered by policy personnel costs and cost-saving measures, effectively filling the amount close to 2.5%."
Union 1 began the final wage and collective bargaining with management at 4:10 p.m. the previous day at the Seoul Metro headquarters in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. As disagreements between labor and management were not resolved, they held internal meetings with four recesses and resumptions, finally reaching an agreement at 2 a.m. the next day.
Meanwhile, separate from Union 1, the Seoul Metro Integrated Union (Union 2) and the Correct Union (Union 3), which are conducting negotiations separately, have not yet concluded their talks. Union 2 decided not to strike following a member vote rejecting the strike, but Union 3 had announced a general strike on the same day if negotiations with management failed.
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