Airport Railroad Avoids Rush-Hour Chaos... Reaches Agreement on More Staff and Better Employee Conditions

【Financial News, Incheon = Reporter Han Gab-soo】 Airport Railroad, which connects Incheon International Airport with downtown Seoul, is set to continue normal operations after labor and management reached an agreement just before a strike. Rush-hour chaos for commuters was averted, but securing safety personnel and improving conditions for frontline employees remain unresolved challenges.
Airport Railroad Co. and the KPTU Airport Railroad Branch reached a tentative agreement at 3:30 a.m. on the 13th on a supplementary agreement to the 2026 wage and collective bargaining agreements. The union consequently canceled its warning strike and rally at Geomam Station, and regular and express trains began operating normally from the first service of the day.
Negotiations that began in July faced difficulties amid disagreements over wage increases, additional staffing and improvements to the promotion system. The union had announced a work-to-rule campaign starting on the 12th of last month, followed by a warning strike, but the two sides eventually reached an agreement after overnight talks.
The parties agreed to a wage increase equivalent to 4.9% of the previous year's total labor costs. The increase will be divided equally between percentage-based and fixed-amount components and applied retroactively from January this year. The aim is to make the fixed-amount component more effective in improving conditions for less-senior employees.
A promotion system based on years of service will also be introduced for the first time in 2027. Grade 6 employees will become eligible for promotion after six years of service, and grade 5 employees after 10 years. Further reductions in the time required for promotion and service-based promotion from grade 4 to grade 3 will be discussed through a joint study to be conducted through February next year.
Expanding safety staffing was also a key part of the agreement. The parties agreed to work together to secure 21 employees in safety-related roles. For the appropriate staffing level of 37 proposed by the union, they plan to develop a short-term hiring plan this month after an on-site inspection by Korea National Railway. Medium- and long-term staffing needs will be examined through a study commissioned by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Measures to improve working conditions were also agreed. Starting in 2027, two of train drivers’ four hours of nighttime rest will count as working time, and they will be paid for those hours. Pregnant employees will receive a two-hour reduction in daily working hours throughout their pregnancy.
However, the scale of staffing increases and the actual hiring schedule may change depending on the results of future inspections and commissioned studies. The union welcomed the relevant agencies’ decision to take part in the joint study, while saying it would continue to monitor whether the agreements are implemented. Civil and criminal cases, audits, written explanations of circumstances and other matters arising during the work-to-rule campaign are to be canceled.
The tentative agreement will be finalized following a vote by union members. The negotiations averted public inconvenience caused by a strike, but the challenge of improving frontline staffing and working conditions to ensure the stability of rail services remains.
Airport Railroad President Park Dae-su said, “We will continue communication between labor and management to improve employees’ working conditions and ensure stable train operations.”
[email protected] Han Gab-soo Reporter