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Commuters experience delays as unionized Seoul Metro workers go on strike
Unionized workers of Seoul Metro hold a street rally near Seoul City Hall, Thursday, before going on a two-day strike in protest of the company’s downsizing plans. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
Labor minister denounces subway strike as 'irresponsible'
Commuters in Seoul experienced partial service slowdowns on Thursday as unionized workers of Seoul Metro began their two-day strike in protest of workforce reduction plans.
Seoul Metro, run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, operates lines 1 to 8, in addition to the Line 9 section between Sinnonhyeon Station and VHS Medical Center Station.
Unionized workers kicked off what they called a “warning strike,” as a negotiating group consisting of members of two unions — one affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the nation’s biggest umbrella union, and the other affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) — declared a breakdown of their last-minute negotiations with the firm the previous day.
The KCTU-affiliated union has about 11,000 members, while the FKTU-affiliated one has some 2,400.
The unions have called on the company to withdraw its downsizing plans, under which the firm is moving to cut about 2,200 jobs by the end of 2026 to address its chronic deficits.
“We are not fighting for money, but for the safety of citizens,” said Myung Soon-pill, who heads the KCTU-affiliated union, claiming that the city government and Seoul Metro’s plans for downsizing and outsourcing safety-related work will threaten public safety.
The union warned that it could hold another strike sometime after the nationwide college entrance exam slated for Nov. 16, if the company sticks to its downsizing plan.
However, the FKTU-affiliated union decided at the last minute not to participate in the strike. Sources noted that the unions had some differences of opinions during the negotiations.
In addition, another union consisting of workers in their 20s and 30s has sided with the company, saying restructuring is unavoidable to normalize management of the company that has been in a deficit state.
Due to the absence of the FKTU-affiliated union, in addition to the stance of the union of younger members, the ongoing strike is widely seen as losing steam.
A notice of a two-day strike staged by unionized workers of Seoul Metro is posted at Seoul Station, Thursday. Yonhap
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metro estimated the subway operation rate at 87 percent of full capacity during the evening rush hour and at 82 percent at other times. They said the rate will be maintained at 100 percent during the morning rush hour period between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. in accordance with an agreement between the company and the union.
Lee Sang-jin, 40, who commutes to and from work at Jamsil Station on Line 2, said the effects of the ongoing strike were noticeable, as there were more people on the platform waiting for trains than usual.
“I managed to arrive at work on time, though the train was more crowded than usual,” Lee said.
But another subway user wrote on Blind, an anonymous workplace community app, “My office is near Euljiro 3-ga Station and I was late this morning. I cannot believe the announcement that the subway operation rate was maintained at 100 percent during the morning rush hour.”
In a bid to minimize public inconvenience, the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), which jointly operates lines 1, 3 and 4 with Seoul Metro, announced a decision to deploy 20 temporary trains on those lines during the strike period.
Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik denounced the strike as "irresponsible,” saying that Seoul citizens are paying increased subway fares to share the financial burden of Seoul Metro and to use subway services without problems.
“The union should immediately end the strike,” Lee wrote on Facebook, urging both Seoul Metro management and the unions to join hands to seek measures for solving the chronic deficits.
"The government will do its best to minimize inconvenience to the public," the minister said.