Seoul Metro unions strike wage deal with management, withdraw strike plan
Passengers wait for the subway at Seoul Station, 11일 서울역 플랫폼에서 승객들이 지하철을 기다리고 있다.
Two out of three labor unions of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, decided Friday to withdraw their plan to launch an all-out strike after reaching a last-minute wage deal with the Seoul subway operator, officials said.
Unionized workers had planned to launch a strike starting with the first train of Friday, brewing concerns over disruptions to commuters, but they took back their plan as they struck the deal with Seoul Metro early in the morning, according to the officials.
Under the wage deal, the management agreed to hire 820 new employees to fill vacancies created by retirements and to raise workers' wages by at least 3 percent in line with wage guidelines for public institutions.
The remaining labor union is also expected to reach a wage deal with the metro operator.