Chuncheon City Activates Emergency Transportation Measures Ahead of City Bus General Strike

Final Breakdown in Wage Negotiations Between Labor and Management
One-Day General Strike Scheduled for May 21
23 Citizen Buses and 7 Chartered Buses to Be Deployed
Emergency Operations Focused on Major Routes

Chuncheon City in Gangwon Province has begun preparing measures in response to a general strike by city bus workers, which is scheduled for May 21 following the breakdown of wage negotiations between labor and management.

Chuncheon City Hall building.

According to the city, labor and management at Chuncheon Citizen Bus held a post-mediation meeting with the Gangwon Regional Labor Relations Commission on the afternoon of May 20, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement. As a result, the labor union plans to launch a one-day general strike on the 21st.

The key issue in this negotiation was the wage increase rate for 2026. The union demanded a 6.8% increase in base salary, while management offered a 3.5% increase. Despite the mediation efforts by the Regional Labor Relations Commission, negotiations ended in a final deadlock.

To minimize inconvenience for citizens on the day of the strike, Chuncheon City has immediately activated an emergency transportation task force and is focusing its administrative resources on operating an emergency transportation system, including deploying chartered buses and strengthening on-site monitoring. The city also plans to maintain cooperation with related agencies and strengthen responses to traffic congestion, especially during commuting hours and late-night periods, to minimize traffic disruptions.

In particular, the city will deploy a total of 30 vehicles, including 23 operated by non-union drivers and 7 chartered buses, to run an emergency operation system focused on major routes. On the day of the strike, a total of 192 runs will be made on key routes such as 200, 300, 15, and 4. To minimize inconvenience for students, the express school buses (S-1 to S-12) will operate as usual. Village buses will also run normally.

According to Chuncheon City, the working conditions for city bus drivers are managed in a very stable manner compared to other local governments. The city operates a two-shift system with no overtime, and in line with the intent of the quasi-public bus operation system, provides 100% guaranteed employee benefits. The city claims to have made efforts to improve the quality of life and ensure stable working conditions for drivers.

The city also explained that the basic salary level for city bus drivers is relatively high. The monthly base salary for Chuncheon Citizen Bus drivers is 2,562,032 won, which is higher than that of drivers in City A (1,860,144 won) and City B (2,300,320 won), both of which have a similar scale and operate under a quasi-public system. Additionally, since the introduction of the quasi-public bus operation system, driver labor costs have increased by 3.3 billion won from 2022 to 2025, representing a continuous rise of approximately 25%.

Chuncheon City stated that, as the scale of financial support for city bus operations continues to grow, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the stability of the quasi-public operation system and the current financial conditions.

A Chuncheon City official said, "We will focus our administrative resources on operating the emergency transportation task force to minimize inconvenience for citizens," adding, "Now is not the time for labor and management to confront each other over excessive wage increases, but rather a time for both sides to make concessions, work together, and devote efforts to stabilizing company management."

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