Ulsan City Closely Monitoring City Bus Wage Negotiations

Ulsan City is closely monitoring the ongoing wage negotiations between city bus labor and management, and is thoroughly preparing measures to minimize inconvenience to citizens in the event of a strike or bus service suspension.

This round of negotiations has been held a total of six times from March 5 to May 12, but ultimately broke down, resulting in a labor dispute mediation request being filed with the Ulsan Regional Labor Relations Commission.

Both labor and management plan to continue negotiations until the mediation deadline of May 27, aiming for an amicable settlement until the very end.

However, following the Supreme Court's ruling in December of last year that regular bonuses must be considered ordinary wages, there is a significant difference in positions between labor and management regarding how to reflect this in the agreement. As a result, it is expected that reaching a settlement will not be easy.

If negotiations break down, starting from the first bus on May 28, service is expected to be suspended on 105 out of 187 routes, affecting 702 out of 889 buses.

However, 18 buses on four direct seat bus routes (1703, 1713, 1723, 1733) operated by Sewon, as well as 169 buses on 78 branch, village, and Masil bus routes, are expected to operate as normal.

In particular, unlike other cities, Ulsan does not have an urban railway system. Therefore, in the event of a strike or bus service suspension, alternative transportation options other than private vehicles will be limited, and significant inconvenience to citizens is expected.

In response, the city plans to provide immediate notifications via emergency text messages and TV broadcasts in the event of a bus service suspension, lift the alternate-day driving restriction for private vehicles, open public and public institution parking lots, and expand the operation of both corporate and individual taxis.

Additionally, the city will request that companies and schools voluntarily adjust commuting and school hours, expand the operation of commuter buses, and encourage carpooling among private vehicle users.

Ulsan City Hall.

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