Unionized financial workers nationwide are set stage a general strike on Friday if their calls for shorter working hours and increased wages are not met.

The action, led by the Korean Financial Industry Union(KFIU), which is affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the country's two umbrella unions, would be the first general strike in the banking sector since September 2022.

The KFIU's demands include a four-and-a-half-day workweek, a five percent wage hike and additional hiring.

The union says its request for a shorter week aims to address overwork among employees.

A rally will take place at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. 

A spokesperson for a commercial bank said they did not anticipate significant business disruption on Friday because they expected a low rate of participation in the strike.

Only zero-point-eight percent of unionized workers at South Korea's five major banks and nine-point-four percent of those across the banking sector participated in the last general strike in 2022. Most bank branches continued normal operations during that time.