Incheon Airport subsidiary unions hold warning strike

Labor unions representing subsidiaries of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) launched a one-day warning strike on the 23rd. The strike, organized by the Incheon Airport regional branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, aims to demand improvements in working conditions, including a transition to a four-shift, two-rotation system, reduced working hours for environmental workers, and increased staffing.

Approximately 900 to 1,200 workers participated in the action. Affected services may include environmental cleaning, passenger terminal information desks, lost and found services, and certain traffic enforcement and settlement tasks. IIAC has activated an emergency response system, raising its crisis alert level to ‘serious’ to minimize passenger inconvenience.

The union has called for direct negotiations with the parent company, IIAC, accusing it of using tactics to delay or limit negotiation agendas. While lawmakers have criticized the disparity between the shift systems used by parent company employees versus subsidiary employees, IIAC has stated that implementing the requested shift changes could cost approximately 150 billion won, an assertion the union disputes.