Worst-ever Rush Hour Traffic Jam May Occur on Monday

The operation of railroad lines remained less than half their normal level on June 29, the second consecutive day of the walkout by unionized workers of the Korean National Railroad.

Passengers are sure to be hard hit from the curtailed train operations on June 30, the beginning of a new work week.

The government views the strikes as illegal, thus forcefully dismissing unionized workers on June 28 by putting in place police, and made it clear on June 29 that it will sternly deal with those who joined in the walkout.

In response, labor unions have now decided to strengthen pressure on the government through various labor-management meetings from June 30, leading to a possible all-out confrontation between the unions and the government.

According to the Ministry of Construction and Transportation (MCT), as of 4 p.m. on June 29, the operation of passenger trains was at 32% normal capacity with metropolitan commuter trains at 58% capacity and freight trains at 8%. Total operation was only 42%, less than half normal capacity.

The operation of Saemaul trains were all cancelled until 8 a.m. on June 29 but one or two trains began operation shortly after. The operation of Mugunghwa trains also stood at 26% normal capacity.

At major stations across the nation, there were crowds of passengers who tried to get refunds on their tickets and to learn about new train timetables. Even the express bus terminal and airports were crowded with people who lacked train tickets.

Meanwhile, the number of passengers on express buses and airplanes increased by 60% and 10%, respectively, compared to normal.

In case of freight trains, operation on the first day of the strike remained at 33% normal on June 28 but plummeted to 8% the next day. As a result, the transportation of cement is in effect frozen, while export and import containers are also not being properly distributed.

The government held a ministerial meeting presided by Kim Jin-pyo, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Finance and the Economy, at the government complex in Gwacheon on June 29.

“The strike by unionized railway workers is outright illegal since their demands will not be considered the rationale for the strike,” he said. “If they fail to return to work by 10 p.m., we will punish them with stern disciplinary measures including dismissal,” he warned.

Deputy Prime Minister Kim reiterated the stern warning towards the workers. “There is no further room for dialogue and compromise at the moment because most of the demands from the railway labor unions have already been met,” he said.

As of 4 p.m. the same day, 1,260 or 13.4% of the 9,433 workers who participated in the strike returned to work, said the MCT.

At first, the MCT projected the number of unionized workers joining the walkout at 5,635 and said that 20% of them would be back to work. However, engine drivers increased the number further by joining the walkout after their shifts were over.

On the first day of the walkout, the government sited police at Yonsei University, Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, and Korea University, Seochang campus, where unionized workers were staging demonstrations against a bill on railroad reform.

The first assemblage of law enforcement officers under the current government suggests a turnaround from President Roh Moo-hyun`s previously lenient labor policies.

Jae-Seong Hwang Kwang-Am Cheon jsonhng@donga.com iam@donga.com