Seoul City Bus Labor-Management Negotiations Reach Surprise Settlement... Normal Operation on the 16th

[Financial News] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 16th that, following the agreement on wage negotiations between city bus labor and management and the withdrawal of the strike, all city bus routes will operate normally starting from the first bus.
In the second round of mediation held by the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission from 2:00 p.m. on the 15th to 1:50 a.m. on the 16th, labor and management reached a compromise including a 3.2% wage increase in 2026 following continuous communication and mediation efforts by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Accordingly, emergency transportation measures prepared in anticipation of the strike have been lifted, and public transportation will continue to operate normally. Seoul City and district shuttle buses will not be running, and the subway, which was scheduled for extended service, will operate according to regular schedules.
Meanwhile, the biggest point of contention in these negotiations was the monthly standard hours to be applied for calculating ordinary wages. The union argued that 176 hours per month should be applied, citing a Supreme Court of Korea ruling from last April. On the other hand, management's position was to first restructure the wage system based on 209 hours per month, and then, once a different standard is determined in the ongoing lawsuit regarding ordinary wages, to settle retroactively according to the ruling.

[email protected] Lee Seol-young Reporter