EMPLOYEES of Starbucks are set to strike in the South Korean capital Seoul on Wednesday in a dispute over excessive workload and conditions.

Workers at the US-based coffee chain, angered by a recent marketing event that saw customers lining up for hours, are accusing bosses of indifference to their complaints.

Starbucks directly operates its nearly 1,600 outlets in South Korea, employing about 18,000 workers, but does not recognise trade unions.

Wednesday’s walkout will be the first collective action by Starbucks employees in the country. 

The company sold beverages in limited edition reusable plastic cups as part of its 50th anniversary event last week, but Starbucks workers say that they are overworked and exhausted by “endless promotional events.”

“Some locations had around 650 cups [waiting to be served]. Even though we wanted to run away from the endless number of customers and a historic record of orders, we kept our place for only one reason: responsibility,” a store manager wrote on anonymous social media app Blind.

The Starbucks workers rallying in the Korean capital are demanding better pay and working conditions.

A company spokesperson said it would “listen to Starbucks’ partners through various channels and check for areas of improvement.”