Starting from the 7th, when the holiday ends, the Seoul city bus labor union announced the resumption of lawful struggle. The lawful struggle involves departing after confirming that all passengers are fully seated or holding onto handrails, thereby inducing delays.
The union conducted a one-day warning lawful struggle on the 30th of last month after the wage and collective bargaining negotiations with management broke down. City bus drivers did not make sudden starts, sudden stops, sudden lane changes, open-door departures, or cut-ins. At that time, 165 routes experienced delays of over 15 minutes, with an average delay time of about 33 minutes.
The union is demanding an ▲8.2% increase in the base salary ▲abolition of wage discrimination for the same work ▲extension of the current retirement age from 63 to 65 years. They argue that, following the Supreme Court's change in existing precedents regarding regular wages on Dec. 19, they should reflect regular bonuses in regular wages.
On the other hand, management, represented by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul City Bus Transportation Association, argues that a revision of the wage system is necessary. They state that the existing wage system is based on the premise that bonuses are not included in regular wages. They also claim that the essence of the Supreme Court's ruling does not indicate that the current wage system should be maintained.
As the lawful struggle resumes, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced plans to implement special traffic measures to minimize citizen inconvenience. Just like on the 30th of last month, the main rush hour for subway commuting will be expanded by one hour, from 7 to 10 a.m., and the number of train services for lines 1 through 8 and the Uiwisanseol Line will be increased by 47.