Seoul City Bus Strike Dramatically Called Off...Normal Service on the Morning Commute of the 16th (Update)

Union Accepts Commission's Arbitration Proposal After 12 Hours of Negotiations

Buses are parked at a bus depot in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

The wage and collective bargaining negotiations between management and the labor union for Seoul city buses reached a dramatic agreement just two hours before a planned strike. Approximately 7,000 buses in Seoul will operate normally from the first departure of the day.

The Seoul City Bus Labor Union, part of the National Automobile Workers' Federation, decided to accept the arbitration proposal by the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission through a vote held in the early morning of the 16th.

This agreement was reached about 12 hours after the start of mediation meetings at 2 p.m. the previous day, with both sides accepting the proposal put forth by the commission.

With the union calling off the strike, the first buses operating from 4 a.m. on the 16th are expected to run as usual.

Ahead of this agreement, the previously announced strike had raised concerns of major disruptions during the morning commute, as approximately 7,000 city buses on 390 routes operated by 64 companies in Seoul were expected to stop running.

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