A strike authorization vote by the labor union of Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines 1 through 8 in Seoul, has passed.
Seoul Metro's No. 1 union, the Seoul Metro Labor Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), said on the 19th that the "strike authorization vote results" passed with 83.53% in favor. Of the 9,130 total members, 8,087 took part in the vote held from the 14th through that day. There were 6,755 votes in favor, 1,319 against, and 13 invalid.
Seoul Metro's No. 2 union, the Seoul Metro Integrated Union affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, also held a strike authorization vote from the 14th to the 17th, and it passed with 77.97% in favor.
The No. 3 union, the Seoul Metro Right Labor Union, known as the so-called MZ union, will hold a strike authorization vote through the 21st.
The corporation held main negotiations separately with unions No. 1, 2, and 3 but failed to reach agreement over wage increases and the scale of new hiring. Afterward, each union declared talks broken and began the strike procedure.
Unions No. 1 and 3 are under a "mediation suspended" decision by the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission, and in particular, because No. 1 has also passed its authorization vote, it can launch a strike at any time. No. 1 plans to announce specific strike plans on the 25th after a meeting of its strike countermeasures committee. No. 2 is undergoing the mediation process.