Unionized workers of the city-run Seoul Metro have announced that they will stage a general strike next month as they called for the withdrawal of management's plan to cut jobs.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Hyun Jeong-hee, chief of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, accused Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of neglecting earlier promises not to forcibly carry out a restructuring.

The union leader said the workforce reduction and restructuring would end up threatening the safety of citizens and laborers while lowering the quality of public service.

She said the unionized workers' strike could not be prevented unless the city government suspends the workforce reduction and outsourcing, and instead hire a minimum 771 safety personnel this year.

The strike announcement comes after management and labor failed to reach an agreement during a final mediation session on Tuesday over Seoul Metro’s plans to lay off two-thousand-211 workers, or around 13-point-five percent of its workforce, by 2026 to improve its finances amid a substantial deficit.

Meanwhile, collective action won 73-point-four percent of support within the union in a five-day vote by its members from last Thursday through Monday.

Should the union launch the strike, it would proceed in accordance with an earlier agreement with management on essential maintenance duties, with the operation rates of subway lines one to eight ranging from 53-point-five to 79-point-eight percent on weekdays.