On Monday, the company informed the Korean Railway Workers' Union of its decision to dismiss 89 senior union officials and take other disciplinary actions, including suspension, against another

166 unionists. The company will carry out disciplinary action on other participants in the walkout starting March 6.

"This is KORAIL's retaliation for our 74-day strike, which was aimed at defending the public nature of railroads and citizens' safety," a union official said. "We will immediately seek help from the local Labor Relations Commission (affiliated with the labor ministry) to respond to this unjust punishment for a legal strike."

A KORAIL official, however, argued the disciplinary action was "inevitable" because of the losses it suffered during the strike.

"We believe last year's strike was not simply an industrial action by an individual workplace union but a political strike the union carried out on behalf of all labor groups to block the government's implementation of the performance-based pay system," he said.

The union argued the new scheme would let companies fire employees more easily and worsen work conditions. The government countered that it would boost labor flexibility and create more jobs, especially for youth.

In 2013, KORAIL dismissed 99 workers after a massive walkout, but the Labor Relations Commission deemed it unjust. (Yonhap)