The nationwide bus strike scheduled for the 28th is expected to be only a 'partial' strike. This is because only 11 out of the 22 bus unions across the country have met the conditions necessary for a legal strike, which require prior mediation of labor disputes.
According to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Automobile Union (Korean Automobile Union) on the 13th, out of 22 city and intercity bus unions, 10 local unions applied for labor dispute mediation to their respective regional labor committees the previous day. Including Seoul, which has already undergone the mediation process, a total of 11 unions have done so.
The regional unions that applied for mediation are ▲Busan ▲Incheon ▲Gwangju ▲Ulsan ▲Chungbuk ▲Gyeongnam ▲Gyeonggi (Gyeonggi Regional Automobile Union, Gyeonggi Central Regional Bus Union, Gyeonggi Regional Bus Union) ▲Jeju, among others. Seoul has already completed both the mediation process and the members' vote on whether to strike, thus securing the right to a legal strike.
In contrast, regional unions in ▲Daegu (Daegu City Bus Union, Daegu Regional Tourist Bus Union) ▲Daejeon ▲Chungnam-Sejong ▲Gyeongbuk ▲Jeonbuk ▲Jeonnam ▲Gangwon, as well as ▲Intercity buses ▲Chartered buses ▲Seoul and Gyeonggi area village bus unions, have not applied for mediation.
Previously, the Korean Automobile Union announced plans to commence a simultaneous nationwide strike starting with the first bus on the 28th. To follow this schedule, mediation applications needed to be submitted by the 12th. However, half of the unions did not apply for mediation.
A representative of a local union that did not apply for mediation said, 'We empathize with the purpose of the strike but felt that we had not sufficiently undergone wage negotiations or prior mediation processes.' They added, 'If there is no progress after further procedures, we plan to apply for mediation.'
The Korean Automobile Union noted that regional unions that applied for mediation have a high likelihood of participating in the simultaneous strike scheduled for the 28th. A representative from the union said, 'While the strike votes for members have not yet been carried out, historically, the approval rate for strike votes has been above 90%, so there should be no problems with passing.' The strike voting is expected to take place regionally from the 23rd to the 27th.
If all the regional unions that applied for mediation proceed with the strike, approximately 26,212 buses nationwide are expected to stop on the 28th. This represents about 60% of the total approximately 44,000 buses. Since most major regional unions are participating, significant inconvenience for citizens is anticipated. In terms of bus drivers, about 53,200 of the approximately 81,000 drivers will stop working.
On the other hand, half of the regional unions that did not participate in the mediation application by the 12th may also join the strike later. A union representative said, 'If there are additional regional unions that apply for mediation, they can still join after the 28th.'
The announcement of this nationwide bus strike comes as the conflict over 'ordinary wages' between the labor and management of Seoul city buses has intensified. The union claims that bonuses should be included in ordinary wages, based on a Supreme Court ruling from December of last year. However, the management contends that the union's demands effectively require more than a 20% wage increase based on the total amount, and argues that changes in legal interpretation would necessitate a restructuring of wage systems. The issues surrounding ordinary wages between bus unions and management are similar across all regions.