Second Mediation Session Today; Seoul City Buses Face Strike From First Train Tomorrow if Talks Fail

[Anchor]

The labor and management of Seoul city buses are holding their second mediation meeting today (the 15th) regarding the method of applying ordinary wages and the wage increase rate. If they fail to find common ground, the union plans to go on strike starting with the first buses early tomorrow morning. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to deploy 1,500 free shuttle buses and increase subway operations.

Reporter Yun Nara has the details.

[Reporter]

The labor and management of Seoul city buses will hold their second mediation meeting at 2 p.m. today at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission.

Both sides failed to find common ground during the first mediation meeting on the 9th, where they clashed over the method of applying ordinary wages and the wage increase rate.

Following the Supreme Court ruling in the Dong-A Transport case last April, the union is demanding that the standard hours for calculating ordinary wages be set at 176 hours, along with a 7.85% wage increase.

However, management is pushing back, arguing that the Dong-A Transport case is still undergoing a retrial, and therefore the 176-hour standard cannot be accepted.

Management claims that accepting the union's demands would impose an additional financial burden of over 500 billion won annually, presenting instead a wage system reorganization based on 209 hours along with a 10.32% wage increase proposal.

The fewer hours recognized as the standard used to calculate how much monthly ordinary wages translate to on an hourly basis, the higher the wages to be paid, which is more favorable to the union.

The union plans to go on strike starting with the first buses early tomorrow morning if an agreement is not reached in today's mediation.

In preparation for the strike, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has prepared emergency transportation measures, including deploying up to 1,500 free chartered buses and increasing subway operations by 202 trips per day.

Additionally, during the bus strike period, roadside bus-only lanes will be opened to regular vehicles, town buses will be utilized as alternative transportation, and the public bicycle service Ttareungi will be made free of charge.

The city has also requested schools and public institutions in Seoul to adjust their school start and work arrival times one hour later.

The Seoul Bus Union also staged a two-day strike last January, demanding changes to the ordinary wage application method and a wage increase.

Video by Lee So-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.