The railway union declared a 'general strike' next month...Is there a traffic jam?

[Anchor]
The railroad union, which is out of work, has declared that it will go on an indefinite general strike from the 5th of next month.

The Seoul subway union has also announced that it will hold a general strike from the 6th of next month, a day later, raising concerns about whether the traffic chaos will become a reality.

Reporter Hwang Hye-kyung reports.

[Reporter]
The Gyeongin Line express train is expected to be delayed a lot due to the departure of the
railway union.."

This is Sindorim Station on Subway Line 1, where the National Railroad Union is fighting against the law.

There is some room during the daytime, but more passengers are waiting for the subway than usual.

During rush hour, you have no choice but to stamp your feet at the interval of dispatch, which is shorter than usual by 10 minutes and longer by 20 to 30 minutes.

The cold weather adds to the exhaustion of commuting.

[Lee Kyu-sun / Guro-dong, Seoul: I was late yesterday. It was very uncomfortable. I think there's a lot of delay, too. The train that was supposed to come didn't come.]

With the railroad union's departure, which began on the 18th, similar scenes are taking place on subway lines 1, 3, and 4, Gyeongui Central Line, and the West Sea Line in the Seoul metropolitan area.

However, the union plans to go on an indefinite general strike on the 5th of next month if the government and the Korea Railroad Corporation do not accept demands such as outsourcing, suspension of manpower cuts, and increase in basic salaries.

[Baek Nam-hee / Head of Media Communication Office of the Korean Railway Workers' Union: The strike is also a big burden for us. Strikes cause inconvenience to citizens.... The safety of the train could also be at considerable risk if the number of routes is not resolved despite the increase in the number of routes..]

Korail said it will do its best to minimize inconvenience to passengers and negotiate with the union, but it is expected to face difficulties as it says that the reduction of manpower is inevitable.

On top of that, the Seoul subway union also called for the withdrawal of restructuring and announced a general strike on the 6th of next month.

Concerns are growing that if labor-management negotiations finally collapse, traffic chaos in the Seoul metropolitan area will become a reality ahead of the year-end and New Year holidays, when traffic demand is high.

I'm YTN Hwang Hye-kyung.

Reporter for shooting
: Jin Soo-hwan