Busan and Changwon city bus unions went on strike on the 28th after labor-management negotiations broke down. Unlike the Seoul city bus unions, which postponed their strike, these unions proceeded with their planned strike.
According to the Busan city bus labor-management, operations of 2,517 city buses across 147 routes were suspended starting with the first bus at 4:20 a.m. on that day.
On the same day, nine Changwon city bus companies operating under a semi-public system decided not to run 669 buses starting from the first bus at 5 a.m.
Both the Busan and Changwon city bus unions failed to narrow their differences regarding regular wages. The union is demanding an 8.2% wage increase this year, while the management argues that reflecting regular wages would make it difficult to justify the increase rate.
The Busan city estimates that reflecting regular wages would require an additional 47.2 billion won annually, while Changwon is estimated to need 30 billion won.
In response to the strike by the city bus unions, the Busan city will operate charter buses from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on that day to minimize inconvenience for citizens. The city also plans to implement emergency transportation measures by increasing subway services by 50 trips.
Changwon city will also deploy 170 charter buses and 10 city-owned official buses, along with 330 hired taxis starting from 6 a.m. on that day. In Changwon, city buses are the only means of public transportation.
Unlike the Busan and Changwon city bus unions, other regional bus unions have postponed their strikes for the day. Earlier, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Automobile Workers' Union, which is the upper organization for regional bus unions, warned that if negotiations broke down for the ongoing 11 regions and 22 bus unions nationwide, they would initiate a nationwide general strike.
However, in Ulsan, buses are currently operating normally but could go on strike depending on the negotiation results. Initially, the Ulsan city bus union had planned to strike at 4 a.m. that day if negotiations with management broke down, but they have postponed the strike and are continuing negotiations.
In addition, the Gwangju city and Jeonnam bus unions plan to decide on whether to strike on the 29th.