Railway workers in S. Korea launch 72 hour strike over pay and conditions
- 4 years ago
Railway workers here in Korea have started a 72-hour strike demanding higher pay and better working conditions.
The country's railway operator KORAIL says it's doing all it can to minimize passengers' inconvenience.
Kim Jae-hee has the latest.
The Korean Railway Workers' Union began a 72 hour strike at 9 AM, local time on Friday.
Given that the industrial action will continue until Monday morning, the CEO of the KORAIL announced an official apology on Friday and said he will try his best to minimize disruptions for commuters and ensure safety.
During peak commute hours, KORAIL will deploy substitute workers and military personnel to ensure trains in the capital area run as smoothly as possible.
It aims to ensure train operations in Seoul remain over 80 percent of usual levels to minimize inconvenience.
The walkout is expected to cut manpower to around 60 percent of normal levels, even with the injection of substitute workers.
During the strike, the operation rate of subways in Seoul during off-peak hours is projected to be about 88 percent of usual levels.
High-speed inter-city KTX services are expected be running at some 72 percent.
The slower Saemaeul and Mugunghwa passenger train services will run around 62 percent and 67 percent of normal levels, respectively.
Passengers are already experiencing discomfort.
"I live in Busan, so I have to take around 10 to 20 trains every month from Busan to Seoul. Even today, I made the reservation for the ticket in advance, but I'm still on the wait list. I'll probably have to take the Mugunghwa train now."
"I heard the strike lasts for three days. I hope customers don't experience too many problems. Especially as the strike lasts during the weekend, I feel there's difficulty booking tickets."
The union and KORAIL have held more than dozen rounds of talks since May, but couldn't narrow their differences.
"The union is demanding higher pay for KORAIL workers, the hiring of more workers, and better working conditions. It says it will launch another strike in November if the demands are not met."
This is the first time in three years the Korean Railway Workers' Union has launched a strike.
There was transport chaos in South Korea in late 2016 when they walked off the job for 74 days.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.
The country's railway operator KORAIL says it's doing all it can to minimize passengers' inconvenience.
Kim Jae-hee has the latest.
The Korean Railway Workers' Union began a 72 hour strike at 9 AM, local time on Friday.
Given that the industrial action will continue until Monday morning, the CEO of the KORAIL announced an official apology on Friday and said he will try his best to minimize disruptions for commuters and ensure safety.
During peak commute hours, KORAIL will deploy substitute workers and military personnel to ensure trains in the capital area run as smoothly as possible.
It aims to ensure train operations in Seoul remain over 80 percent of usual levels to minimize inconvenience.
The walkout is expected to cut manpower to around 60 percent of normal levels, even with the injection of substitute workers.
During the strike, the operation rate of subways in Seoul during off-peak hours is projected to be about 88 percent of usual levels.
High-speed inter-city KTX services are expected be running at some 72 percent.
The slower Saemaeul and Mugunghwa passenger train services will run around 62 percent and 67 percent of normal levels, respectively.
Passengers are already experiencing discomfort.
"I live in Busan, so I have to take around 10 to 20 trains every month from Busan to Seoul. Even today, I made the reservation for the ticket in advance, but I'm still on the wait list. I'll probably have to take the Mugunghwa train now."
"I heard the strike lasts for three days. I hope customers don't experience too many problems. Especially as the strike lasts during the weekend, I feel there's difficulty booking tickets."
The union and KORAIL have held more than dozen rounds of talks since May, but couldn't narrow their differences.
"The union is demanding higher pay for KORAIL workers, the hiring of more workers, and better working conditions. It says it will launch another strike in November if the demands are not met."
This is the first time in three years the Korean Railway Workers' Union has launched a strike.
There was transport chaos in South Korea in late 2016 when they walked off the job for 74 days.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.