Seoul City Buses to Strike from First Service Today... Fears of Commuter Chaos

Breakdown in Labor-Management Talks
Indefinite Strike Begins with First Bus Service on January 13

Seoul city buses will halt operations starting with the first service of the day on January 13. The Seoul City Bus Labor Union, part of the Korean Automobile & Transport Workers’ Federation, and the management, represented by the Seoul City Bus Transportation Business Association, declared a breakdown in negotiations regarding wages and collective bargaining agreements on this day.

The labor and management sides held a follow-up mediation meeting for the special mediation committee regarding the wage and collective bargaining agreement at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission in Yeongdeungpo District from around 3 p.m. the previous day. However, after more than 10 hours of negotiations failed to produce an agreement, the union decided to proceed with the planned general strike starting at 4 a.m. on January 13.

Yonhap News Agency

In Seoul, approximately 7,000 city buses operate on 394 routes managed by 64 companies. All 64 companies are participating in the union.

Since April of last year, labor and management have remained at odds over the issue of ordinary wages. The management insists that, in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling, the scope of ordinary wages will expand, leading to a sharp increase in labor costs. Therefore, they argue that the wage system must be restructured by including bonuses in the base salary. Management has proposed a total wage increase of 10.3%.

On the other hand, the union has demanded that any additional wage payments resulting from the recognition of ordinary wages be excluded from this negotiation. Instead, they are calling for a 3% wage increase without restructuring the wage system, an extension of the retirement age to 65, and the elimination of wage discrimination.

Management countered that if they were to accept the union’s proposal of a 3% wage increase and later recognize bonuses as part of ordinary wages, the actual wage increase would be about 20%, which they argue is an unreasonable demand.

Yonhap News Agency

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

The 25 district offices will operate free shuttle buses to connect with subway stations in order to minimize inconvenience for citizens. Information on free district shuttle buses can be found on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website.

Yeo Jangkwon, Director of Transportation at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "We will mobilize all available transportation resources to minimize inconvenience for citizens," and urged the bus union to "consider the inconvenience to commuters and return to work as soon as possible."