Seoul Transportation Corporation is facing a setback in its efforts to expand mandatory operations during strikes on subway lines 1 to 4. The subway is a public utility, and even during a strike, it must maintain a certain level of operations. Currently, the mandatory operation rate for subway lines 5 to 8 is around 79%, while it stands at 65% for lines 1 to 4. Seoul Transportation Corporation requested that the operation rate for lines 1 to 4 be raised to the level of lines 5 to 8, but it was reported that the Seoul Regional Labor Committee recently did not accept this request.
Seoul Transportation Corporation stated that it requested the regional labor committee in March of last year to raise the mandatory operation rate of subway lines 1 to 4 to match that of lines 5 to 8 during strikes. The mandatory operation rate for trains is a matter for labor-management negotiation, and when an agreement could not be reached, it sought mediation from the regional labor committee.
In response, the Seoul Regional Labor Committee reportedly notified the transportation corporation of its decision, stating that the company’s claim and basis for raising the mandatory operation rate during strikes on subway lines 1 to 4 are not sufficient to change the current level of maintenance and operations. This means that the mandatory operation rate during strikes on lines 1 to 4 should be maintained at about 65%.
Seoul Transportation Corporation was established in 2017 when Seoul Metro, which operated subway lines 1 to 4, merged with Seoul Urban Railway Corporation, which was responsible for lines 5 to 8. The mandatory operation rates during strikes have been applied differently based on the levels agreed upon by the labor-management of the existing lines 1 to 4 and 5 to 8.
Last year, among the 273 stations of the Seoul subway lines 1 to 8, the top 10 stations based on passenger numbers are all located on lines 1 to 4. These include Seoul Station on line 1, Express Bus Terminal Station on line 3, and Jamsil Station, Hongdae Entrance Station, Gangnam Station, Guro Digital Complex Station, Sillim Station, and Samsung Station on line 2.
A spokesperson for the transportation corporation said, "If the mandatory operation rate during strikes on subway lines 1 to 4 does not increase from the current level, we could say that the inconvenience to passengers would be relatively significant if a strike actually occurs."