KakaoBank(323410) The labor union will launch a five-day general strike starting on the 31st. It is the first time the KakaoBank union has staged a prolonged consecutive strike.
The Korea Federation of Chemical, Textile, Food, and Service Workers' Unions Kakao chapter said on the 20th that it will go on strike from the 31st of this month to the 4th of next month with all members participating.
Seo Seung-uk, head of the Kakao chapter, said, "Although the company had sufficient time and opportunity to resolve the issues, there has been no substantive change," and added, "In line with the will of the members, we are moving to a full general strike."
The KakaoBank union became a majority union last month as total membership surpassed half of all employees. On the 31st of last month, about 700 members took a day of annual leave as a form of strike, but key financial services operated without major issues.
The union noted that if the strike is prolonged, service operations such as customer consultation and complaint handling could be delayed, and the capacity to respond to emergencies like system failures could be weakened.
Additionally, the union said the company designated "non-strike personnel" beyond the previously agreed dispute-exempt staff and contacted them individually to demand they not join the strike, adding this could constitute an unfair labor practice. Going forward, the union plans legal action, including filing criminal complaints and petitions for remedy of unfair labor practices with the Labor Relations Commission.
Regarding the five-day general strike, a KakaoBank official said, "We will operate a response system to prevent customer inconvenience and do our best to ensure stable service," and added, "We will also continue dialogue with the union and work toward an amicable resolution."