Seoul City Bus Labor and Management Agree on 2.8% Wage Increase ... "Full Effort to Respond to COVID-19"

On the 26th, as the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continued, a quarantine official is disinfecting city buses at the Eunpyeong Public Garage in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The labor and management of Seoul city buses have agreed to a 2.8% wage increase this year and signed a wage agreement on the 13th. This is the second lowest wage increase rate for city buses in the past 10 years and is at the same level as this year's civil servant wage increase rate.

Seoul City explained that amid the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and the resulting economic downturn, labor and management reached a prompt and amicable agreement at a reasonable level, unlike in previous years.

Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of the Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, said, "While busy with COVID-19 quarantine efforts, labor and management took a self-sacrificing attitude to conclude wage negotiations early, allowing us to focus on quarantine activities," adding, "Seoul City will also pay more attention to bus quarantine together with labor and management and accelerate improvements to the semi-public bus system."

Currently, Seoul city bus labor and management are conducting enhanced vehicle disinfection focusing on handrails, stop bells, and card terminals after each operation to prevent COVID-19 infection in public transportation.

Seoul City has also supported costs for purchasing disinfectants and hiring additional personnel, considering the increased fatigue of bus cleaners and the increased consumption of disinfectant supplies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.