Rail safety concerns rise as strike continues

Members of the Korean Railway Workers’ Union call for the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) to stop deploying inexperienced temporary workers to fill in for strikers due to safety concerns, during a rally in front of Seoul Station, Tuesday. They have been holding a walkout against the government-initiated merit pay system since Sept. 27. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

Concerns have been raised about the safety of subways and railroads as the workers of the state-run Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) continue their strike against the performance-based salary system the company has recently adopted.

While non-union workers operate the trains, their fatigue is growing due to a lack of time off. Also many temporary workers, who the company hastily hired, are having difficulties performing their work due to inexperience.

According to KORAIL’s safety committee, Tuesday, it found 18 problems with the subways and railroads under the company’s management, since union workers began the strike on Sept. 27.

KORAIL, which manages train networks across the country, also co-manages some of the subway lines connecting Seoul and the suburbs, including subway line Nos. 1, 3 and 4 as well as the Gyeongchun, Gyeongui-Jungang and Bundang lines.

The latest safety incident occurred Monday, when a subway train bound for Incheon stopped at Jongno 3-ga Station in central Seoul for 90 minutes due to technical problems.

A similar incident occurred on Sept. 29, when a subway train stopped near Seolleung Station on the Bundang line for 26 minutes because of a power supply failure.

During a special meeting with the committee on Tuesday, KORAIL CEO Hong Soon-man said the problems stem from inexperienced workers who have taken the jobs of the workers on strike.

“I apologize for any inconveniences that the incident on Monday might have caused to passengers. I will ensure that new workers will receive more safety training,” he said. “During rush hour, better skilled and more experienced workers will be deployed for safe train operations.”

Since the strike, KORAIL has hired nearly 800 people on short-term contracts to minimize problems from vacancies. By the end of the week, it plans to hire an additional 500 people.

Although KORAIL insists that all new workers go through sufficient safety education before starting work, their lack of experience is a big concern for many.

During the union’s previous strike in 2013, a woman was killed after being caught in the door of a subway train. The worker, who failed to see her when the train left the platform, was doing the job as a substitute.

“New people have to receive 100 hours of training before starting work on train crews. And many applicants already have some related experienced as KORAIL interns or students with railroad operation-related majors,” a KORAIL official said.

More than 7,000 union workers are participating in the strike, which is expected to break the record as the longest-ever on Thursday having reached 24 days, obstructing transportation services both for passengers and freight.

While the operating rate of subway trains and KTX has changed little, those of the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa trains dropped to 60 percent. Freight trains are also running at some 30 percent of the usual level.

On Tuesday, KORAIL sent an ultimatum to the striking workers, saying those who do not get back to work by Thursday will face heavy punishment.

Yet the workers refused to back down. Instead, they plan to take the company to court over the issue of adopting the performance-based salary system without their consent.

More than 1,400 progressive scholars and activists also expressed their support for the strike, saying the government instigated the turmoil and should work with the union.