Seoul City Buses Begin Strike from First Service Today... Emergency Transportation Measures Implemented by City

Final Breakdown of Post-Mediation Talks on January 13
General Strike Begins with First Buses
Seoul Expands Subway Service and District Shuttle Operations

The Seoul city bus labor union will begin a general strike starting with the first buses on January 13.

The labor and management of Seoul city buses began a post-special mediation committee meeting at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission in Yeongdeungpo District around 3 p.m. the previous day. However, they failed to reach an agreement, and negotiations finally broke down at around 1:30 a.m. on this day.

Yonhap News Agency

Accordingly, the union announced that it would proceed with the general strike as scheduled, starting at 4 a.m. on this day. In Seoul, more than 7,000 city buses operate on 394 routes across 64 companies. All 64 companies are participating in the union.

Labor and management have been at an impasse over the issue of ordinary wages since April. The management argues that, in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, if the scope of ordinary wages is expanded, labor costs will increase sharply, and therefore the wage system should be restructured by including bonuses in the base salary. The union insists that additional wage payments resulting from the recognition of ordinary wages should be excluded from this round of negotiations, and instead demands a 3% wage increase, an extension of the retirement age to 65, and the elimination of wage discrimination, all without restructuring the current wage system.

In response to the union's strike, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would implement emergency transportation measures from the first buses, immediately deploying alternative transportation options. Subway service hours will be extended by one hour during commuting times, and the last trains will run until 2 a.m.

All 25 districts will operate free shuttle buses to connect with subway stations, aiming to minimize inconvenience for citizens. Information on the free district shuttle buses can be found on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website.

Yeo Jangkwon, Director of Transportation for Seoul, stated, "We will mobilize all available transportation options to minimize inconvenience for citizens," and added, "We also urge the bus union to quickly return to work, taking into account the inconvenience to citizens during the morning commute."