Seoul Metro Labor Union Declares Dispute, Demands 3.5% Pay Rise, Threatens Strike

Seoul Metro labor dispute

The Seoul Metro labor union voted to declare a labor dispute, demanding a 3.5% wage increase and the withdrawal of the plan to cut 2,212 jobs, and it said it would go on strike if there was no progress in future talks. The union said it held an extraordinary delegates' meeting on the 15th and declared negotiations deadlocked at the third main bargaining session on the 29th, after 22 wage and collective agreement bargaining sessions since June 18. The union said it would file for labor dispute mediation with the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission on the 16th, hold a strike authorization vote of all members from the 2nd to the 5th of next month, and then hold a joint press conference with the Korean Railway Workers' Union on the 6th.

The union framed its vote as a decision to block large-scale workforce cuts and protect safety, saying, "This vote to declare a labor dispute is not a simple demand for a wage increase, but a decision to block large-scale workforce cuts, fill short-handed frontline staff, and protect the safety of workers and citizens." The union also said it planned a work-to-rule campaign starting on the 20th and a general meeting of members on the 17th of next month before taking industrial action, including a strike, if talks still did not progress.

Reporting for this sectionChosunbiz아시아경제

POSCO wage talks stall

POSCO labor and management resumed wage negotiations after a month, but the parties failed to reach a tentative agreement at the Pohang headquarters in a main negotiation held for about 1 hour and 20 minutes on the afternoon of Oct. 14.

The management raised the base salary increase rate from 2.0% to 2.2% and increased the lump sum from 4,000,000 won to 4,500,000 won, while the union countered that the proposal was still insufficient.

The union demanded a 7.1% increase and also demanded a 600% encouragement bonus, 50 shares of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and a 200% holiday bonus, as the dispute stood at the crossroads of a third partial strike.

Senior Vice Chairman Cho Yang-rae acknowledged the company’s morale-boosting plan as a step forward, saying, "I acknowledge that the morale-boosting plan presented by the company today has taken a difficult step forward," but he added, "For this year at least, a proposal must be presented that fully reflects the hard work in the field and the weight of the sacrifices endured so far."

A POSCO official said, "We have delivered an advanced proposal in a situation where the slowdown in global demand and the oversupply and low-price offensive from China continue," and the official added, "We will do our best to reach a reasonable agreement" with the union.

Reporting for this sectionBusinesskorea

Spain minimum wage push

In Spain, unions UGT and CCOO proposed raising the interprofessional minimum wage for 2027 by at least 7%, which they said would raise the current amount from 1,221 euros to 1,306.47 euros per month. The unions said the proposal was made on October 13 by Pepe Álvarez and Unai Sordo, and they argued the increase must compensate for the loss of purchasing power and respond to the rising cost of living. The unions also demanded measures to prevent companies from absorbing the SMI rise by reducing other salary supplements, and they said the SMI could surpass for the first time 1,300 euros gross per month in 14 payments in 2027 if their proposal was fulfilled.

The Ministry of Labor set up a panel of experts to prepare a study on the 2027 increase, and the final decision would correspond to the outgoing Government after the General Elections. A separate report said CCOO and UGT demanded a 7% increase for 2027, and it quoted the union framing that "the increase in the minimum wage in 2027, considering the lag between the February 2026 increase and IPC evolution, must reach at least 7%".

Reporting for this sectionEldíaCadena de Suministro