By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The Korean Railway Workers Union (KRWU) announced Sunday that its members have tentatively agreed to stage a strike on Nov. 12, raising concerns that the walkout could trigger traffic chaos ahead of university admission exams scheduled for Nov. 15.
The unionized workers recently held a meeting and reached an agreement to go on strike from 4 a.m. on Nov.12, ignoring a mediation decision by a government labor agency. The KRWU will make a final decision between Monday and Tuesday.
The National Labor Relations Commission had already issued an order last Thursday that the union should not strike during the arbitration period. Any collective action is banned during a mandatory 15-day cooling-off period.
Therefore, observers note, the strike will be considered an illegal one by the government. The railway held 11 negotiation sessions with employers over three months up to the end of October.
During the negotiations the unionized workers requested the company to reinstate fired workers and withdraw its layoff plans, but the company refused to accept the request. About 52 percent of the unionized workers voted for the strike.
However, the capital’s subway system will not be affected by the industrial action.