Seoul City Affiliates to Cut Jobs by 10%
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Five public services firms run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government will carry through drastic restructuring, cutting the number of jobs by 10 percent by 2010.
The restructuring, in accordance with the city government's plan to reduce its number of employees, is expected to influence the incoming government's scheme to reorganize and rationalize national government agencies.
According to officials, the city government recently asked its five affiliated companies ― Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation, Seoul Agricultural and Maritime Products Corporation, and SH Corporation ― to reduce the number of jobs by 10 percent.
``Each city-run company is conducting reconstruction for reform in management,'' an official said.
Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines Nos. 1-4, plans to outsource repair and maintenance work. The facilities management firm already cut its payroll by 70 last year by not filling vacancies. It plans to remove an additional 100 jobs by 2010, or 12 percent of its previous payroll of 1,450.
The agricultural products company and SH corporation plan to put incompetent workers on retraining programs.
Seoul City Mayor Oh Se-hoon said last year that the city government will reduce its own employees by 1,300 by 2010 through dismissing 3 percent of its workers who are incompetent or remiss in their duties.
But unions of the companies are protesting the move, saying the companies are firing employees indiscriminately.