Mokpo City Implements Emergency Transport Measures in Preparation for City Bus Strike

Labor-Management Agreement Breakdown... Measures Prepared Following Approval of Strike Vote

Mokpo City has prepared an emergency transportation plan due to the city bus union strike. (Photo by Mokpo City)

[Mokpo=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Hyeong-seok] Mokpo City in Jeollanam-do announced that it has prepared an emergency transportation plan amid concerns over the suspension of city bus operations due to a strike by the city bus union.

The city bus labor and management held five rounds of negotiations from January to August this year to conclude a wage agreement, and after applying for mediation at the Jeonnam Regional Labor Commission in August, three mediation meetings were held, but the final negotiations broke down.

With no agreement reached between labor and management, the city bus union conducted a strike vote on the 27th and 28th, with 294 out of 318 voters, or 92.4%, voting in favor of the strike.

The union claims that wages were frozen last year and demands a wage increase of about 300,000 KRW per person as compensation by shortening the current full attendance days from 13 to 12 days, citing wage levels of workers in Yeosu and Suncheon.

The company argues for a wage freeze due to severe financial deficits caused by a sharp decline in city bus passengers due to COVID-19 and external factors such as the Russia situation, which led to 140% wage arrears and four months of unpaid gas bills.

While the union’s specific strike methods and timing have not been decided, the city is requesting prior notice of the strike schedule from the union and plans to implement emergency transportation measures to minimize citizen inconvenience and guarantee citizens’ right to mobility.

First, the city will lease 50 charter buses to operate as emergency transportation vehicles. These emergency vehicles will run on eight major city routes including lines 1, 1A, 6, 9, 13, 15, 20, and 60, maintaining 60% of the usual transport capacity on these routes. Each day, 126 city officials will ride along on the emergency vehicles to maintain order and provide route guidance.

Additionally, during the strike period, the restriction on 1,500 taxis will be fully lifted.

The city will also establish a close cooperative system with neighboring local governments. In Muan County, routes 1-2, 108, 800, 200, and temporary routes (Muan?Namak/Oryong) will operate in the outskirts of Mokpo including Muan-eup, Illo-eup, Namak, Oryong district, and Gunsan-dong, maintaining 50% of the usual transport capacity on these routes.

Furthermore, the city will set up an emergency transportation comprehensive situation room to maintain a 24-hour emergency duty system, continuously monitoring bus operation suspension trends and reviewing countermeasures.

A city official said, “There are limits to smooth transportation with only emergency transportation measures, so citizen inconvenience is inevitable. We ask citizens to use alternative transportation such as bicycles and carpooling.”

Meanwhile, to resolve wage arrears for city bus workers, the city allocated 3 billion KRW in financial support in the third supplementary budget this year. Combining bus operation revenues and city subsidies, the company’s wage arrears and gas bill arrears are expected to be resolved. However, if operations are suspended due to the strike, the city plans to deduct financial support for buses based on the strike period.