Labor and management of Seoul's city-run subway operator will conduct full-fledged negotiations on Tuesday as they seek to head off a union strike over downsizing.

While the labor collective attending the negotiations set for 4 p.m. is composed of unions affiliated with both of the nation's major umbrella groups, only the one linked to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) is expected to stage the protest should it proceed.

The KCTU affiliate, which carried out a two-day warning strike earlier this month, plans to walk out indefinitely if an agreement is not reached on Seoul Metro’s plan to cut two-thousand-212 jobs, or around 13-point-five percent of its workforce, by 2026 to improve its finances amid a substantial deficit.

During previous negotiations on November 8, management proposed 660 new hires in the second half of this year, up from the previously planned 388, to which the union demanded 868 to guarantee two-person on-site teams, consignment workers, and retirement replacements.

The spokesperson for the Seoul municipal government said on Monday that the city will respond sternly to illegal strikes in accordance with principles.