(Photo: Yonhap)
Unionized subway workers in Seoul say they will go through with their planned strike on Thursday if management fails to heed their calls against a major restructuring plan.
The Seoul Metro workers' union was scheduled to hold a final round of talks with corporate representatives Monday afternoon to try and avert a full-scale walkout.
Workers are opposed to Seoul Metro's plan to lay off around 10 percent of its 16,700 employees, reduce benefits, freeze wages and increase outsourcing to mitigate losses made worse by the economic impacts of COVID-19.
According to management, the transit authority has incurred losses of more than 500 billion won for three years straight since 2019.
If negotiations fall through, unionized train operators will be among the first to strike, likely disrupting the first scheduled trains of the day.
City officials said they don't expect passengers to experience any major issues, as 5,000 essential workers will be still at work even if the union strikes.
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