A labor union representing Seoul Metro employees on Monday said it will launch a strike next month, unless the central and city governments withdraw their restructuring plan involving job cuts.

Announcing that the strike will begin on September 14, the union also demanded state subsidies for lost income and that Seoul Metro hire more young people.

The union said while its intent is to stop these wrongful policies, and not day-to-day operations, it would have no other choice but walk out authorities fail to meet its demands and unresponsive to their repeated request for negotiations.

Seoul Metro proposed a ten-percent reduction in workforce and pay freeze, to make up for increasing deficits, exacerbated by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The union is demanding the central government make up for the losses, claiming that the deficits mainly come from the government's free ride system for seniors aged 65 or older and a fare freeze since 2015.

Unions of subway operators in five other cities also plan join in the walkout, and plan to stage one-person rallies at 650 subway stations on Thursday.