ID :
91825
Thu, 11/26/2009 - 17:42
Auther :

Rail workers' strike disrupts freight service

(ATTN: RECASTS lead, headline; RESTRUCTURES; ADDS comments, details throughout)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's railway union went on an indefinite
strike Thursday, paralyzing freight services, after negotiations with the
management over financial belt-tightening and working conditions fell through,
company and union officials said.
At around 4 a.m., about 16,000 unionized workers of Korea Railroad (KORAIL),
excluding essential staff for railway network operation and maintenance, launched
the general strike, the third this year following the first in September and the
second earlier this month.
No serious transit disruptions were reported as of Thursday afternoon as many
replacement workers remained on duty despite the strike. Passenger trains were
operating on a normal schedule, and metropolitan subways were running at 91.7
percent of regular capacity, according to KORAIL.
But freight train services were hit hard, with only 1.4 percent of daily capacity
being handled, it said.
All shipping services at Uiwang Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Gyeonggi
Province, a major inland logistics hub for the Seoul Metropolitan area, were
halted on the first day of the strike, ICD officials said.
"Ahead of the walkout, we were notified by the KORAIL union that freight services
will be suspended for the first three days," Jeong Dong-kwon, an official at ICD
said. "Although we have made a contingency plan, the shipping services have been
paralyzed and it doesn't seem like it will improve soon."
Union leaders said the strike follows disputes with management over pay and
working conditions as well as union workers' rights and the reinstatement of
fired workers.
"While negotiations were still underway, the company suddenly notified the
cancellation of its previous collective agreement with labor on pay and working
conditions. So the strike was unavoidable," the union said in a statement.
But the state-funded firm said the union's claim is neither true nor justifiable,
adding the union had already notified it of the nationwide strike last week.
"Our staff will do their best efforts to normalize the train operation and
minimize people's inconveniences during the walkout," a KORAIL official said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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