Unionized railway workers hold a press conference in Seoul on Nov. 21, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Unionized railway workers on Thursday said they will launch an indefinite general strike on Dec. 5 to demand higher pay and a bigger workforce.
The walkout plan by the Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU), if implemented, is expected to affect the operations of high-speed KTX and regular train services across the country and subway services in the capital area.
The union has been staging a slowdown strike since Monday.
KRWU members will go on an indefinite full-scale walkout Dec. 5 if there is no change in the attitudes of the government and their employer, the Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), the union announced in a news conference in front of Seoul Station in the morning.
“The general strike will be an inevitable choice. The struggle of railway workers to ensure the safety of citizens and trains and the recognition of their fair labor is justified,” it said.
Their planned walkout is expected to cause massive rail service disruptions nationwide, as unionized Seoul subway workers have already announced a plan to go on a full-scale strike on Dec. 6 in demand of increases in wages and new staff hiring.
The KRWU’s “work-to-rule” protest entered its fourth day Thursday, causing delays in subway and commuter train services in the capital area.
Of 470 subway and above-ground trains that ran in the greater Seoul area from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., 14 were delayed by more than 20 minutes, down from 23 trains during the same hours the previous year, according to KORAIL. All KTX and regular trains were operating normally during the day, the company said, adding any violations of company rules or the law by the striking workers will be handled strictly.
(Yonhap)
