Seoul Bus Union: Little Progress in Working-Level Talks... Strike Launch Ceremony Set for 26th

Strike Launch Ceremony at Songpa Transportation Hall on the 26th
Over 20,000 Buses to Halt if General Strike Proceeds on the 28th
"Nothing Has Changed in Management's Stance"

As the conflict between city bus labor and management over the issue of ordinary wages has spread nationwide, it has been reported that behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Seoul bus labor and management are also making little progress.

The Seoul City Bus Labor Union of the National Automobile Workers' Federation held a 'Collective Bargaining Victory and Seoul City Condemnation Rally' on the morning of the 14th in front of the Seosomun Annex of Seoul City Hall. About 100 union members gathered for the rally.

The Seoul City Bus Labor Union of the National Automobile Workers' Federation held a 'Collective Bargaining Victory and Seoul City Condemnation Rally' on the 14th in front of the Seosomun Annex of Seoul City Hall. Seoul City Bus Labor Union

Park Jeomgon, the union president, pointed out, "The Seoul city government and employers are telling us to give up on the recalculation of ordinary wages in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision, completely disregarding the situation of workers. They are pushing us toward a strike by refusing to engage in any talks for this year's wage and collective bargaining agreement unless we give up on this issue."

Park continued, "The meaning of the Supreme Court en banc decision is that regular bonuses, as fair compensation for labor, must be included in ordinary wages, and that unpaid wages resulting from this must be paid. The rights of union members stipulated by law cannot be infringed upon by either the Seoul city government or the employers."

After the mediation process at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission broke down on April 29, labor and management have continued behind-the-scenes negotiations, but there has been no progress. A union official stated, "We expressed our intention for post-mediation to the Labor Relations Commission, but management refused, so it could not proceed."

Yoo Jaeho, secretary general of the Seoul City Bus Labor Union, said, "Management representatives are saying that unless the provision on bonuses in the collective agreement is deleted or revised so that bonuses are not included in ordinary wages, they will not even sit at the bargaining table. Nothing has changed."

Yoo further stated, "While the Seoul city government and employers acknowledge the Supreme Court en banc decision that bonuses are part of ordinary wages, in ongoing lawsuits they claim that bonuses are not ordinary wages. It appears that their intention is to have the union agree in the collective bargaining process that bonuses are not ordinary wages, so that they can win the lawsuits."

The Seoul City Bus Labor Union plans to hold a strike launch ceremony in front of the Transportation Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of May 26.

The issue of ordinary wages in wage and collective bargaining negotiations began in Seoul and has now spread to bus unions nationwide. Including Seoul, which has already completed the mediation process, unions from 11 regions?Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Ulsan, Chungbuk, Gyeongnam, Gyeonggi, Jeju, and others?applied for mediation on May 12. If negotiations are not concluded by midnight on May 27, when the mediation period ends, a simultaneous strike is scheduled for May 28. The number of participating buses amounts to 26,216.