The Railway Union’s Historic Strike Begins
The railway union, KORAIL’s first labor union, is preparing to launch a strike that will begin on the 23rd. On the 22nd, the union announced that this will be the largest strike in history, with 12,000 participants involved. Chairman Kang Geuk emphasized the union’s determination, stating, “We will fight without retreating even an inch, staking the organization’s fate on this battle.”
As railways are considered essential services, certain operations must continue during the strike. Specifically, KTX must maintain a 56.9% operation rate, Saemaeul-ho 59.5%, Mugunghwa-ho 63%, and Seoul Metropolitan Subway 63%. KORAIL has plans to deploy additional personnel to increase the operation rate of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway to 75.4% and KTX to 66.9% compared to normal times.
Despite these efforts, some train intervals may still be affected. For example, on lines such as the Gyeonggang Line, Daegyeong Line, Donghae Line, and Gyeongui-Jungang Line, the time between trains could increase from 40 minutes to up to an hour. A KORAIL official explained, “We are sending individual SMS and KORAIL Talk notifications regarding train tickets scheduled to be suspended due to the strike,” and urged, “As service disruptions are expected, please leave home early or use alternative transportation such as buses.”
During the strike period, passengers who return or change their tickets due to train service suspensions will not face penalty fees for the corresponding train. Additionally, tickets for suspended trains will be fully refunded without the need for a separate refund application.
Reasons Behind the Strike
The railway industry is closely watching this strike, which stems from the union’s stated reasons. While the railway union claims that the direct cause of the strike is “normalizing performance-based pay,” there are broader interpretations both inside and outside the union. These interpretations suggest dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which holds the authority to approve performance-based pay for affiliated institutions like KOMSCO and KORAIL.
Currently, KORAIL receives lower performance-based pay compared to other institutions. This situation dates back to events that occurred 15 years ago. In 2010, the government initiated a reform of public institution wage systems, aiming to link performance-based pay—which was previously treated as a fixed salary—to actual performance. As part of this process, public institutions increased their bonuses by incorporating them into base salaries.
However, KORAIL faced challenges due to union strikes and failed wage negotiations. As a result, it submitted the necessary documents approximately one year after the government’s deadline. At the time, the government viewed this delay as a major defect and imposed a penalty, setting KORAIL’s performance-based pay at 80% of the base salary instead of 100%. This decision has had long-term implications for the organization’s compensation structure.
