Busan Transportation Corporation Labor and Management Reach Last-Minute Agreement... Urban Rail Runs Normally from First Train

Pursuing a final agreement after a general vote by union members and other procedures

Busan Transportation Corporation's labor and management reached an agreement on key issues, including wage increases and additional staffing, ahead of a planned strike, allowing Busan's urban rail service to operate normally.

Busan Transportation Corporation said on October 23 that it had reached a tentative agreement at 12:48 a.m. that day during final negotiations with the Busan Transportation Corporation Labor Union, which began at 3 p.m. on October 22 at the welfare center of the Nopo Rolling Stock Depot.

The negotiations faced difficulties due to differences between labor and management over issues including the scale of additional staffing. The union declared the negotiations deadlocked at around 9 p.m. on October 22 and planned to begin a strike with the first train on October 23. However, the two sides continued follow-up negotiations to minimize inconvenience to residents and ensure stable operation of the urban rail system, eventually reaching an agreement.

The main terms include a 3.5% wage increase in line with government guidelines, a request to Busan City to add 29 employees to fill staffing shortages on the front lines, and payment of this year's annual leave allowance and performance-based pay in January next year. They also agreed to improve the working conditions of public-sector contract workers and guarantee four consecutive hours of sleep during night shifts in technical fields.

Both sides reportedly made mutual concessions, taking into account the inconvenience a strike would cause residents and the corporation's difficult financial circumstances. The planned strike was called off under the tentative agreement, and Busan's urban rail service has been operating normally since the first train on October 23.

The two sides plan to sign the final agreement after the union's delegates' convention and a general vote by union members. If a final agreement is reached, Busan Transportation Corporation will extend its record to seven consecutive years without a labor dispute.

Kim Taeho, president of Busan Transportation Corporation, said, "This tentative agreement is the result of labor and management each making concessions to minimize inconvenience to residents and ensure stable operation of the urban rail system."

Kim added, "We will continue to foster labor-management harmony through mutual trust and do our utmost to provide residents with safe and convenient urban rail services."

Busan Transportation Corporation Line 1.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.