Two of three Seoul Metro unions have reached a wage deal with management, withdrawing their plan for an all-out strike set to begin Friday morning. The agreement includes hiring 820 new employees to replace retirees and raising wages by at least 3 percent in line with public institution guidelines. The remaining union is expected to reach a similar deal soon.
Negotiations between Seoul Metro unions and management on wages and collective bargaining began Thursday afternoon at the company's headquarters in Seongdong District but recessed after about 40 minutes. Overnight working-level talks continued but failed to bridge differences, leading the main union, the Seoul Transit Corporation Labor Union representing 57.4 percent of workers, to declare a breakdown around 3:30 a.m. This set the stage for a full strike by workers on subway lines 1 through 8 starting with Friday's first trains.
However, early Friday morning, two of the three unions struck a last-minute wage deal with management and withdrew their strike plan. Under the agreement, the company committed to hiring 820 new employees to address vacancies from retirements and to increase workers' wages by at least 3 percent, aligning with guidelines for public institutions. The second-largest union (16.4 percent) and third-largest (12.6 percent) joined the deal, with the main union also expected to reach an agreement soon.
The resolution averts potential disruptions to commuters across the capital and supports stable subway operations. As of July, the main union holds the majority of unionized workers at Seoul Metro.
