Seoul Bus Union Threatens Full Strike on Jan. 16 as Wage Dispute Intensifies

Seoul’s city bus union has set its sights on a full strike from the first buses on Jan. 16, with the fight centered on how workers’ ordinary wages should be calculated. If the walkout goes ahead, commuters and students could face major disruption.

“

The company failed to keep its promise to apply a 176-hour monthly standard for calculating ordinary wages under the Supreme Court’s April ruling and to pay delayed wages.

The Seoul Bus Workers’ Union, affiliated with the Korea Automobile Workers’ Federation, adopted the strike plan at a meeting of branch leaders on Jan. 3. It also asked the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission to mediate the dispute. The union and the Seoul Bus Transportation Business Association are due to hold a first mediation session on Jan. 9, followed by a membership vote on strike action on Jan. 11 and a second mediation session on Jan. 15.

The union says operators broke an agreement to apply a 176-hour monthly standard for calculating ordinary wages, following an April Supreme Court ruling, and to pay delayed wages. It says the two sides had agreed to calculate the arrears in line with the ruling, but operators are delaying payment because another ordinary-wage lawsuit remains unresolved.

“

The Supreme Court ruling did not finally establish 176 hours as the standard for calculating ordinary wages, but sent the case back for further review, which is still underway at the Seoul High Court.

The operators dispute that interpretation. They say the Supreme Court ruling did not finally establish the 176-hour standard but instead sent the case back for further review, which is still underway at the Seoul High Court. They also point to a separate ordinary-wage lawsuit involving 64 bus companies, saying the calculation could change.

“

The union is trying to force its position through pressure rather than dialogue, which is a misguided practice.

Pay negotiations remain far apart. The union rejects proposals for a wage freeze, the removal of bonuses and holiday allowances, and retroactive application of a 209-hour ordinary-wage standard. It is demanding a raise at least as high as increases in other regions operating under semi-public bus systems. The operators criticized the union for threatening another strike after walkouts in 2024 and last January. A Seoul official said the city would monitor the situation and consider mediation measures to limit disruption.

“

We will closely monitor the situation and consider mediation measures to prevent inconvenience to citizens.