Differences between Seoul city bus labor and management over the standards for calculating ordinary wages and wage hikes show little sign of narrowing.

As management made it clear that it cannot accept the union's demands for a "176-hour base time for calculating ordinary wages and a 7.85% hike in hourly wages," concerns have grown that the full-scale strike scheduled for the 16th could become a reality.

The Seoul Bus Transport Association, an organization of city bus operators, said in a statement released today (the 10th), "In addition to a 1 trillion won-range ordinary wage lawsuit, the union is demanding a 500 billion won-range hike this year," adding, "A strike will only draw criticism from citizens."

The Seoul City Bus Labor Union is urging management to set the base time for calculating ordinary wages at 176 hours and raise hourly wages by 7.85%.

The base time used to calculate how much the ordinary wage paid on a monthly basis is worth per hour works to the union's advantage when fewer hours are recognized, as it increases the wage to be paid.

The association (management) has proposed 209 hours.

Regarding the base time for calculating ordinary wages, the association estimated that lawsuit claims filed between 2020 and 2025 amount to around 1.0214 trillion won.

In addition, management estimated that if the hourly wage is raised by 7.85% and the ordinary wage calculation base time is applied at 176 hours as demanded by the union, it would cost 539.4 billion won every year.

The association explained, "If set at 176 hours, a 16.44% wage increase occurs separately from the wage hike," and added, "The annual salary of a 9th-year operating employee was 68.7 million won last year, but if both the 7.85% wage hike and the ordinary wage increase based on 176 hours (16.44%) are applied, the annual salary rises by 16.39 million won to receive over 85.09 million won."

Furthermore, the association emphasized that its proposal does not constitute a wage freeze, stating, "We previously proposed a 10.32% wage hike to the union."

The association elaborated that at the 9th wage negotiation session last month, it proposed a 10.32% wage increase through "reforming the wage system to set the number of base hours for calculating ordinary wages to 209 hours, like other metropolitan cities."

In particular, the association emphasized that 209 hours is the standard specified in the "(Revised) Guidelines for Labor and Management Guidance on Ordinary Wages" written by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on February 2 of last year, following the Supreme Court's full bench ruling.

It stated, "We proposed that if the court finalizes 176 hours, we will additionally pay the retroactive amounts, and conversely, if the court rules for 230 hours, the union should also return and settle the additionally paid amounts."

Previously, in the final appeal of a lawsuit filed by Dong-A Transport against management, the Supreme Court quashed the lower court's (second instance) judgment—which recognized 176 hours per month as the base time—regarding other parts and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court.

Regarding this, the union claims that the base time has already been finalized at 176 hours as a ruling, while management counters that it is disputing to change the base time to 209 or 230 hours in the remand trial, and that this part of the ruling has not been finalized.

The association also emphasized on this day that "Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Ulsan already reorganized their wage systems to 209 hours without separate wage increases last year, agreeing to a 10%-range hike."

Regarding the union strike scheduled for the 16th, the association said, "We will work closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to arrange alternative transportation" and "do our utmost to ensure that city buses operate normally, even if only for some routes and sections."

It also warned, "If the union interferes with the normal operation of operating employees who do not participate in the strike, we will take prompt action with the police and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to ensure they face stern punishment."

Meanwhile, the Federation of Korean Automobile & Transport Workers' Unions issued a statement regarding the association's statement, condemning that "wages earned by working to the bone should not be distorted as 'high-tier annual salaries.'"

The federation also emphasized, "After a long legal review, the Supreme Court finally ruled that the base time for calculating ordinary wages in accordance with the system of 8 hours per day and 22 days of full attendance per month for Seoul city buses is '176 hours.'"

The association's statement today came a day after the union held a press briefing and announced the collapse of the first mediation meeting by the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission.

The union stated on the 9th, "Management has yet to respond to our demands, including wage increases," and added, "We have asked the labor relations commission to hold an additional mediation meeting at any time without being bound by formality."

However, a separate schedule has not yet been set.

Labor and management have held a total of 9 rounds of collective bargaining for 2026 since March without reaching an agreement, and the union applied for labor dispute mediation at the end of last month.

The second mediation meeting will be held at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission on the 15th.

Regarding the strike scheduled for the 16th, the union emphasized, "We are by no means trying to take citizens hostage ahead of Chuseok," but rather "exercising our basic constitutional rights."

Thus far, Seoul city bus labor and management have been at odds over the 2024 Supreme Court full bench ruling recognizing regular bonuses paid without "fixedness" as ordinary wages, and the interpretation and application methods of subsequent ordinary wage lawsuit rulings involving workers at the Seoul bus company Dong-A Transport.

The association proposes reflecting regular bonuses into annual salaries in accordance with the intent of the Supreme Court's judgment.

In this case, regular bonuses would be eliminated and annual salaries would rise by about 10.3%.

On the other hand, the union is resisting management's proposal, demanding additional wage increases on top of allowances that reflect regular bonuses into ordinary wages.

In the industry, some analyze that room for compromise remains as the union stated it would step up for dialogue even before the second mediation meeting.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is preparing emergency transportation measures in preparation for the strike becoming a reality on the 16th.

According to the association, about 7,000 Seoul city buses operate daily, with an average of over 3.79 million daily users.

(Photo: Yonhap News)