Subway Unions to Go on Strike on June 24

Subway Workers` Unions in three major cities of Busan, Daegu and Incheon are threatening to go on a strike on June 24 unless the government accommodates their demand on safety operation measures.

The National Railway Workers` Union is also considering taking a collective action against the government plan to put up a railway reform bill in the National Assembly, raising the concern over a `track crisis.`

According to the Track Workers` Alliance comprising 7 railway and subway unions nationwide, the subway unions in three major cities of Busan, Daegu and Incheon held a high-ranking official meeting on June 9 and decided to go on a strike on the 24th. And they already filed for labor-management dispute arbitration at local labor relations committees.

˝After the tragic subway fire in Deagu in February, the government unveiled a series of safety plans, but nothing has changed so far,˝ pointed out Kim Gil-jae, executive chairman of the alliance. ˝To prevent a similar catastrophic incident from happening, the government must reinforce workforce including engineers and safety workers and change interior of subways to inflammable materials.˝

˝Corporations, local autonomous bodies and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation are avoiding assuming responsibilities while agreeing to take safety measures,˝ Kim criticized, adding that Subway Workers` Union in Daegu, Incheon and Busan will hold a rally on June 11, 12 and 14 respectively before the planned strike.

Seoul Metropolitan Railway Workers` Union (Subway Line 5 through 8), whose members decided not to take a collective action in a vote held on June 4, is set to provide support for the other three unions, campaigning for the abolition of the current one engineer for one train system.

The three subway workers` unions will hold a press conference at Gwacheon Government Complex on June 10 to unveil a specific plan.

The National Raiway Workers` Union is also poised to hold a branch head meeting on Jun 19 to decide whether to take a collective action against the reform bill envisioned by the government.

˝The Railway Agency earlier agreed to introduce a bill after discussions with concerned parties such as railway workers unions, but the government is now pushing for passage of the reform bill without any consultation with unions,˝ said an official at the railway union. ˝We have no choice but to go on a strike if the government pushes ahead with its plan.˝

Meantime, the Millennium Democratic Party and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation are moving to put up a railway reform bill in the National Assembly Construction and Transportation Committee on June 17 for passage of the bill in June, heading to a collision course with the labor.

The labor unions are opposing to abolition of money-losing lines envisioned in the reform bill. If the unions push for a strike, some 21,540 members from railway workers` union, 2,573 in Busan, 1,033 in Daegu and 788 in Incheon subway workers` unions are expected to join the collective action.

Kyung-Joon Chung news91@donga.com