<Anchor> The



Seoul subway labor and management are currently in last-minute negotiations over restructuring plans. The company is in a position to reduce the number of employees because of the accumulated deficit, and the union says it cannot accept it and plans to go on a general strike immediately if an agreement cannot be reached. I'll connect you with a reporter.



Reporter Jung Jun-ho, first, let me tell you about the negotiations so far.



<Reporter> It



is in front of Seoul Transportation Corporation.



The final negotiations, which started at 3 pm on the 5th floor, were temporarily interrupted, but the main negotiations started again at 7:30 a.m. just before.



Negotiations are getting longer, but it is known that both sides have yet to reach an agreement.



A key issue is restructuring, i.e. whether to reduce headcount.



The Seoul subway runs a deficit of hundreds of billions of won every year, and last year, in particular, suffered a loss of more than 1 trillion won in the aftermath of COVID-19.



The main cause of the deficit is free-riding for the elderly, and both labor and management agree that the deficit should be compensated for by the government.



However, the management is in the position that restructuring to reduce 1,500 employees, 10% of the number of employees, is inevitable as a self-rescue measure, and the union is arguing that all errors in the policy should not be passed on to the workers alone.



<Anchor>



If the negotiations do not come to a conclusion, the union will go on a general strike from the dawn of tomorrow (14th), right?



<Reporter>



If the agreement fails, it seems that there will be disruptions from the first subway train tomorrow morning.



All sections from Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 8 are subject to strike, except for Line 9, which is operated by a private operator.



The company plans to minimize inconvenience to citizens by using alternative personnel.



It will operate normally as usual from 7 am to 9 am, during the working hours, and will operate at 70% of the normal level for the rest of the time.



The Seoul Metropolitan Government is also planning to put in about 330 spare vehicles for city buses and temporarily lift the private taxi system.



(Video coverage: Kang Dong-cheol, video editing: Lee Hong-myung)