Dramatic Agreement Reached Between Changwon City Bus Labor and Management Just Before First Bus Departure Time

Agreement on 7.5% Wage Increase Reached Around 5 AM on the 26th

Public bus depot in Deokdong-dong, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The labor and management of city bus companies in Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, reached a dramatic agreement early on the 26th, relieving citizens who were worried about a bus strike.

The city bus labor and management in Changwon-si entered the final mediation by the Gyeongnam Regional Labor Commission from 6 p.m. on the 25th and reached an agreement on a 7.5% wage increase around 5 a.m. on the 26th.

The seven bus companies began joint negotiations on March 15 and held a total of eight rounds of talks.

They failed to narrow the gap between the transportation companies, whose management conditions worsened due to a decrease in public transportation users, and the labor union demanding to resolve the wage gap with Busan-si, a city implementing the quasi-public operation system.

On the 11th, a mediation application was submitted to the Gyeongnam Regional Labor Commission, and on the 19th, the union held a vote to decide on a strike if negotiations failed, but after two mediation meetings, an agreement was reached.

The union insisted on an 11.3% wage increase to compensate for the wage difference with nearby quasi-public operation cities after the implementation of the quasi-public operation system and wage freeze last year, but considering the transportation companies’ financial difficulties due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, they agreed to gradually resolve the wage gap.

A representative of the Changwon-si New Transportation Promotion Team said, “Despite difficult conditions such as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and rising fuel costs, it is truly fortunate that wage negotiations were successful and that citizens did not suffer inconvenience from a city bus strike,” adding, “We will do our best to establish an advanced transportation system to ensure there is no inconvenience in using city buses.”

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