"Strike Looms" for Seoul Subway... All Three Unions to Hold Industrial Action Votes

Third Seoul Metro Union Holds Rally on the 17th
All Three Seoul Metro Unions Conducting Member Votes
Legal Strike Possible if Majority Approves

As the end of the year approaches, tensions are rising over a potential strike in the Seoul subway system. All three labor unions of Seoul Metro are preparing to hold votes on industrial action after wage and collective bargaining negotiations broke down.

The "Right Labor Union," known as the "Millennials & Gen Z Union" and the third union of Seoul Metro, held a rally in front of Seoul City Hall on the morning of November 17 to launch their industrial action. The Right Labor Union stated, "We will strongly demand that the Seoul Metropolitan Government compensate for the implementation of various policy projects aimed at securing the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's wage increase guideline (3.0%), and ensure the hiring of new employees without any reduction."

Citizens are waiting for the subway at Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Subway Line 5. Photo by Jo Yongjun

The Right Labor Union began the main round of wage and collective bargaining negotiations with the company on August 20, but as no progress was made, they declared the breakdown of negotiations last month. On November 3, the union applied for labor dispute mediation with the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission, and will conduct a vote on industrial action among its members from November 18 to 21. If a majority of union members vote in favor, the union will obtain the legal right to take industrial action. The union stated, "The company has shown no willingness to make even minimal improvements, repeatedly declaring 'unacceptable' to most of the union's proposals, even though they could be sufficiently pursued through labor-management agreements."

The first union, the Seoul Metro Labor Union, and the second union, the Seoul Metro Integrated Labor Union, are also in mediation with the Regional Labor Relations Commission after the breakdown of wage and collective bargaining negotiations. The first union is holding a vote on industrial action among its members from November 13 to 19, while the second union is conducting its vote until today. If no agreement is reached during mediation, all three unions could go on strike. The wage increase rates proposed by the three unions are 5.2% for the first union, 3.4% for the second union, and 3.7% for the third union.

Last year, the Seoul subway system also faced the threat of a strike, but an actual walkout was averted. On December 6 of last year, the subway unions announced a general strike, but the second union's vote on industrial action was rejected, and the first and third unions reached a dramatic agreement on wage and collective bargaining negotiations in the early morning of the planned strike day, leading to the withdrawal of the strike. At that time, the unions accepted the wage increase rate proposed by management but succeeded in securing additional hiring and other demands.