Hundreds of unionized workers at a major university hospital in Seoul reached an agreement with management on Monday to end a six-day strike aimed at protesting what they call a government move to privatize medical services.

In a joint statement, the Seoul National University Hospital and the hospital's labor union announced they have agreed to end the strike and resume work starting 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

The two sides said they have reached a consensus on issues such as wage, employee dispatches to overseas units and management of patient information. The later two were part of the hospital's plan to privatize.

Some 400 of the hospital's 1,200-member union, excluding those working in intensive-care and emergency rooms, had walked out of their jobs at the hospital's main branch in central Seoul last Wednesday.

The move came roughly two months after the government announced a plan to enact a bill allowing hospitals to pursue profit by setting up subsidiaries for running tourism, hot-springs resorts and hotels via external investments. (Yonhap)