Seoul City Bus Labor and Management Agree on "5% Wage Increase"... "All City Bus Routes to Operate Normally on the 26th"

Emergency measures lifted on the 26th... Public transportation operations return to normal

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 26th that, following the dramatic resolution of wage negotiations between the Seoul City Bus Transportation Business Association and the labor union, the previously planned emergency transportation measures have been lifted, and all city bus routes will operate normally without disruption.

Although both labor and management sides failed to reach an agreement by midnight during the 2nd Local Labor Relations Commission mediation meeting held on the 25th, after continued negotiations, they reached a dramatic agreement on a 5% wage increase at around 1:20 a.m. on the day, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the strike was to begin.

Seoul City stated that the agreement reflects the rise in living costs while minimizing the increase in financial burden, resulting in a reasonable level of agreement aimed at improving the actual working conditions of transportation workers following last year's wage freeze.

With the dramatic resolution of the wage negotiations, all city bus routes will operate normally. The previously announced deployment of substitute public transportation such as subways and charter buses in the event of a strike will be changed to current operations.

Baek Ho, Director of the Seoul City Urban Transportation Office, said, “We also thank the related organizations and autonomous districts that cooperated in preparing the emergency transportation measures,” and added, “Going forward, the city bus labor and management and Seoul City will work together to provide safe transportation services to the best of our ability.”

Earlier, the union demanded a wage increase of 322,276 KRW (8.09%) this year, but the management side insisted on a wage freeze again this year following last year, failing to find common ground. On the 19th, the union also approved the strike plan with an 87.3% approval rate in a strike vote.

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