SEOUL, Unionized workers of Seoul Metro, the operator of the subway service in Seoul, plan to stage a strike next month to protest against the firm’s workforce reduction plan, union officials said Wednesday.

The walkout, set for Nov. 9, will be “inevitable” unless Seoul Metro suspends its downsizing plan, the city-run company’s labor union said in a press conference in Seoul.

The union is resisting Seoul Metro’s ongoing plan to reduce its workforce by 13.5 percent, or 2,211 employees, by 2026 to help reduce the company’s widening deficit.

The union claims a drastic cut in the workforce could lead to safety issues, demanding the withdrawal of the downsizing plan.

“A workforce reduction and a restructuring plan would inevitably pose a threat to the safety of citizens, as well as workers, and weigh down on the quality of public services,” a union official said.

The union said it will be forced to go ahead with the walkout if Seoul Metro does not withdraw the restructuring plan or opts not to hire the necessary minimum safety workforce for this year.

The walkout plan was announced as a majority of Seoul Metro’s unionized workers have thrown their support behind a strike in a vote carried out from last Thursday and ended Monday. Over 73 percent have voted to stage a walkout.

Even if the walkout is staged as planned, weekday subway services will be maintained between 53.5 percent and 79.8 percent of the normal level in order to minimize any public inconvenience, union officials said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency