Woo Hyeongchan, Chair of Seoul City Council Transportation Committee, Greatly Welcomes Dramatic Resolution of City Bus Strike

Seoul City Bus Labor Union Strike... Dramatic Agreement Reached Between Labor and Management Two Hours Before Negotiation Deadline... Agreement on 5% Wage Increase This Year... Extreme Situation of Strike Averted... Chairman Woo Hyeong-chan: "Seoul City Council Will Strive to Ensure Continuity of City Bus Service Through Ongoing Communication"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Woo Hyung-chan, Chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party, Yangcheon 3), expressed great welcome to the dramatic resolution of the 2022 wage collective bargaining between the Seoul City Bus Labor Union and the Seoul City Bus Transportation Business Association around 1:20 a.m. on the 26th, resulting in normal operation without a strike.

Since early this year, both labor and management have conducted autonomous negotiations regarding wage increase rates but failed to narrow their intense differences.

Accordingly, the union applied for mediation to the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission, and if no conclusion was reached at the ‘2nd mediation meeting’ held on the 25th, a full strike of city buses by the union was scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. on the 26th.

Although labor and management were at an impasse in negotiations and passed the deadline, they continued additional talks and ultimately reached a dramatic agreement on wage negotiations.

With the intense differences between both sides resolved about two hours before the negotiation deadline, a transportation crisis for Seoul citizens was averted.

Among the main negotiation issues, the wage increase, which had been the most contentious point between labor and management, was finally agreed upon at a 5% increase, down from the initially demanded 8% range, reflecting the inflation rate, thereby avoiding the extreme situation of a strike.

Chairman Woo Hyung-chan of the Transportation Committee stated, “I would like to express my gratitude to both the Seoul City Bus Labor Union and the Seoul City Bus Transportation Business Association for reaching an agreement to prevent the extreme situation of a city bus strike for the convenience of citizens. Going forward, the Transportation Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council will do its best to ensure that issues in the bus industry are resolved in advance and that citizens can use safer and more convenient city bus services.”