The Seoul city bus union decided to conduct a legal protest (safe operation) for just one day on the 30th due to the final breakdown of wage and collective negotiations with the Seoul city government this year. Normal operation will resume starting May 1 (Labor Day), when the holiday begins.
The Seoul city bus union stated that "to minimize inconvenience to citizens, we will operate safely for just one day and plan to resume normal operations from tomorrow."
The Seoul city bus union began safe operation from the first bus at 4 a.m. on that day after the wage and collective agreement negotiations with the management reached a final breakdown.
Safe operation means departing only after confirming that passengers have tapped their transportation cards and are seated safely. Additionally, buses will not overtake those in front. Some delays may occur, but this form of protest is less severe than a strike.
Both the Seoul city bus union and management have not scheduled any official additional negotiation dates. Both sides are showing differences in opinion regarding the application of standard wages.
The union is insisting that the bonuses, which were paid bi-monthly, be included in the standard wages and that the base salary be increased by 8.2%. They argue that the Supreme Court's ruling last year required various allowances, including regular bonuses, to be included in standard wages.
On the other hand, the Seoul city government states that accommodating the union's demands would require an additional 170 billion won annually, making it difficult to proceed. The city buses are already operating under a quasi-public system, incurring an annual deficit of 500 billion won, and this burden would only increase.