‘Seoul Bus Strike’ to Be Decided at 9:30 p.m. as Labor Commission Demands Final Positions

[Financial News] Whether Seoul city buses will go on strike is expected to be decided around 9:30 p.m. on the 15th. After more than six hours of last-minute mediation failed to produce an agreement, the special mediation committee of the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission asked both labor and management to present their final positions by 9:30 p.m. to avoid a breakdown.
The special mediation committee of the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission resumed the mediation session at around 8:40 p.m. in Conference Room 1. It urged both sides to make a final decision, saying, "We have held individual meetings for about six hours and made considerable progress in some areas, but we have not reached a final agreement" and "We must prevent the buses used by Seoul residents from stopping tomorrow morning."
The public-interest commissioners pointed out that negotiations could not move forward because both sides were unwilling to give up their respective justifications and practical gains.
Public-interest commissioner Oh Byeong-cheol said, "We have heard repeatedly that both labor and management find it difficult to make concessions on their justifications" and added, "If you want to gain justification, you must be able to give up practical gains, and if you want practical gains, you must be able to give up justification, but both sides have become entrenched in their thinking."
Public-interest commissioner Lee Jun-gyu noted, "Even though this is the final day of the second mediation session, labor and management have been repeating the same statements from the same positions for a long time, making it difficult for mediation to progress" and added, "The committee has no choice but to take extraordinary measures."
The special mediation committee asked the representatives of labor and management to consult internally and present their final positions by 9:30 p.m.
The mediation committee said, "We ask the labor and management representatives to once again present a decision and alternatives to avoid a breakdown, based on what has been discussed so far" and added, "Depending on whether you submit your opinions, the committee will either present a mediation proposal or decide to suspend mediation."
The union had previously said it would leave the negotiating venue if talks continued past 9 p.m., but accepted the request after management asked for additional discussions until 9:30 p.m.
Park Jeom-gon, chairman of the Seoul City Bus Labor Union, said, "There have not been many proposals so far, so is there really anything that would change if we continue?" He nevertheless added, "Since management asked to continue until 9:30 p.m., I will wait and see."
Kim Jung-hwan, chairman of the Seoul City Bus Operators Association, replied, "We will consult internally until 9:30 p.m."
The special mediation committee is expected to present a mediation proposal or decide whether to suspend mediation based on the final positions submitted by both sides. If labor and management ultimately fail to reach an agreement and the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission decides to suspend mediation, the union could launch a full-scale strike as scheduled, beginning with the first buses on the 16th.   

[email protected] Bae Han-geul Reporter