Seoul City Buses Face Strike Threat as Labor and Management Hold Final Negotiations

▲ Seoul city buses

Seoul city bus labor and management, currently at odds over the application of ordinary wages and wage increases, are set to sit down at the negotiation table today (the 15th), just one day before the union's threatened strike date.

The Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission will hold its second mediation meeting this afternoon at 2 p.m. regarding the labor dispute involving the Seoul City Bus Labor Union under the Federation of Korean Automobile & Transport Workers' Unions.

Representatives from the bus union and the Seoul Bus Transport Association, an organization of Seoul city bus operating companies, are scheduled to attend today's mediation meeting, where mediators from the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission will attempt to bridge the gap between the two sides.

The union has set today as its final deadline for negotiations, warning that if talks break down, it will launch a strike starting from the first buses on the 16th.

As multiple rounds of negotiations between labor and management have failed to narrow their differences and reach an agreement so far, today's session is expected to involve a fierce and protracted tug-of-war.

The two sides remain deadlocked over how to apply the court ruling on ordinary wages.

In late 2024, the Supreme Court established a new precedent ruling that bonuses must be recognized as ordinary wages. The second-trial ruling for the Dong-A Transport ordinary wage lawsuit—which marked the first time this Supreme Court precedent was applied to a Seoul city bus company—was delivered in October of last year.

Management and the Seoul Metropolitan Government reportedly estimate that the wage increase rate based on the intent of the ruling is around 6 to 7 percent, and have proposed a 10.32 percent increase by adding an additional raise.

This level is comparable to or slightly higher than those of other local governments.

Conversely, the union is demanding that the standard calculation time for ordinary wages be set at 176 hours in accordance with the ruling, along with an additional 7.85 percent hike in hourly wages.

Bus operators argue that accepting such a proposal—combining the ordinary wage increase and the hourly wage hike—would significantly drive up annual salaries, injecting over 500 billion won annually and severely straining public finances.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government similarly expressed its stance that it is difficult to accept the union's demands, stating that the union's wage proposal would place a heavy burden on the operation of Seoul city buses under the quasi-public operation system, which would ultimately translate into a burden for citizens.

With court rulings regarding ordinary wage lawsuits involving other transport companies scheduled for the end of this year, management and the Seoul city government maintain that the current wage-related negotiations should be wrapped up first, while the application of ordinary wages can be re-discussed based on the court rulings expected at the end of the year.

However, the union is not backing down, insisting that since the Supreme Court ruling has already been issued, the recognition of ordinary wages must also be discussed concurrently this time.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has prepared emergency transport measures in preparation for a potential city bus strike.

In the event of a strike, the city plans to deploy up to 1,500 free shuttle buses utilizing chartered buses and other vehicles to support the smooth movement of citizens.

This scale is more than double the approximately 700 vehicles deployed during the bus strike in January of this year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government held an emergency countermeasures meeting this morning regarding the city bus strike to urge both labor and management to reach a smooth collective wage agreement while inspecting emergency transportation plans.

Yeo Jang-kwon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Transportation Office, stated, "The city of Seoul plans to operate alternative transportation modes to the maximum extent to minimize inconvenience for citizens' commutes," and added, "We ask for understanding and concessions from both labor and management so that negotiations can be concluded at a reasonable level that citizens can accept."

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