Countdown to City Bus Strike... Gimhae-si Prepares Emergency Transport Measures

Gyeongnam Gimhae City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Starting at midnight on the 28th, city bus operations in Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam are at risk of being suspended, prompting the city to announce emergency transportation measures.

According to the city on the 27th, among the four city bus companies, the unions and management of Gaya IBS, Dongbu Transportation, and Taeyoung Express held four rounds of negotiations from the 4th to the 21st to conclude the 2023 wage collective agreement.

Earlier, on the 12th, they applied for mediation at the Gyeongnam Regional Labor Commission, and the first mediation meeting was held on the 24th, but no agreement was reached between labor and management.

When the management did not respond to the union's demand for a monthly average wage increase of 290,000 KRW, the union held a strike vote on the 25th.

With 91% of union members from three companies voting in favor of the strike, starting from the first bus on the 28th, 140 out of 196 city buses from four companies in Gimhae-si will stop operating for three companies.

The 63 buses on 30 routes of Gimhae BUS and 108 buses on 10 routes operated by Busan and Changwon buses in Gimhae-si will operate normally.

Earlier, the city, which issued an appeal regarding the strike itself, stated, "In preparation for a breakdown in agreement at the second mediation meeting of the Gyeongnam Regional Labor Commission at 2 p.m. on the 27th, we will implement emergency transportation measures to minimize inconvenience to citizens."

The city plans to establish an emergency transportation situation room headed by the Director of the Safety Construction and Transportation Bureau to formulate emergency transportation measures and coordinate with related agencies.

An official stated, "We planned to lease charter buses to minimize citizen inconvenience, but due to increased domestic tourism demand following the end of COVID-19 and school trips, leasing was almost impossible."

Accordingly, the city secured 11 charter buses in the Busan and Gyeongnam areas, and plans to deploy a total of 14 vehicles, including 2 church buses and 1 official vehicle, on three temporary routes within the city starting at 6 a.m. on the 28th.

The three temporary routes are ▲ Jinyeong Intercity Terminal ∼ Samgye Seohee Apartment ▲ Samgye Seohee Apartment ∼ Palpan Village 1st Complex Apartment ▲ Juchon Seoncheon District ∼ Sambang Market ∼ Juchon Seoncheon District.

During the strike period, the city will increase the number of concentrated departure and arrival times for the light rail by 12 trips and fully lift the taxi restriction on 1,541 taxis.

Additionally, detailed information such as the routes and operating times of emergency transportation vehicles will be distributed through the city’s website.

Promotion will also be conducted via the Gimhae City Transportation Information Center, SNS, city bus stops, and bus information terminals.

A city official said, "There are limits to smooth transportation with emergency measures alone, so citizen inconvenience is inevitable," and recommended using alternative transportation such as the light rail or carpooling.

He added, "The city will continue dialogue and persuasion to withdraw the strike until the last moment and will do its best to minimize citizen inconvenience by mobilizing all administrative power."

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