Unionized rail workers shelve plan on strike; train services run on normal timetable
Workers inspect a cargo train in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap
DAEJEON — Unionized railway workers have put on hold their plan to launch an indefinite strike and trains were running normally on Thursday, the state railway operator said.
The Korea Railroad Corp. was said to have reached a tentative deal with the Korean Railway Workers' Union in the morning centered on increasing performance-based bonuses, just hours before workers were set to launch an indefinite strike.
The government has reportedly said it will resolve the issue through the finance ministry's steering committee on public institutions.
The averted strike eases concerns about major disruptions in rail services after unionized rail workers vowed the previous day to launch an indefinite strike starting at 9 a.m. Thursday.
"(We) conducted focused negotiations to minimize inconveniences to the public and decided to suspend the strike," a union official said.
The union has called for higher performance bonuses and improved safety measures, taking issue with the current compensation system that caps such bonuses at 80 percent of base pay.