Korea`s railway union goes on strike

(ATTN: RECASTS lead, ADDS more details in paras 7-10, Seoul in dateline, minor edits)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, DAEJEON, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's railway union went on a 48-hour
strike as of 9 a.m. Thursday after negotiations between the union and railway
officials over working conditions and benefits collapsed.
The Korean Railway Workers' Union, which claims a membership of some 25,000, said
the walkout would start in the central city of Daejeon and other non-metropolitan
areas before moving to major metropolitan areas on Friday at 9 a.m.
Union officials said negotiations with the state-funded Korea Railroad (KORAIL)
fell through due to the latter's refusal to compromise on wage hikes and
downsizing of full-time workers.
Union members voted to go on strike late last month, with 76.6 percent supporting
the walkout.
Only 60 percent of the normal workforce was manning local train and metropolitan
subway services, but replacement staff were set to be mobilized incrementally,
transportation authorities said.
"We will make utmost efforts to minimize passengers' inconvenience and take stern
action against illegal activities," a KORAIL official said.
As of early Thursday, no serious disruptions in train services were reported as
the walkout started after rush hour and a number of workers stayed on duty
despite the strike, KORAIL officials said.
They said the railway's 74 KTX high-speed trains will operate on a normal
schedule, while trains departing from the southern city of Busan will be running
at 84 percent of daily capacity.
Some services from Seoul to non-metropolitan areas were canceled early in the
day, although unionists in Seoul have yet to join the walkout.
"Not many trains have been canceled so far, but we worry that more trains will be
suspended as metropolitan rail workers will join the strike from tomorrow," an
official at Seoul's Yongsan station said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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