Seoul bus union prepares for final negotiations ahead of possible strike

With the Seoul city bus union warning of a general strike on Tuesday, labor and management will hold their final round of negotiations on Monday afternoon at the Seoul branch of the National Labor Relations Commission.

Buses arrive at the Seoul Station bus transfer stop in Jung District, central Seoul, on May 28. [YONHAP]

With the Seoul city bus union warning of a general strike on Tuesday, labor and management will hold their final round of negotiations on Monday afternoon at the Seoul branch of the National Labor Relations Commission.

The chances of a dramatic breakthrough remain uncertain, as the two sides are still far apart on the key issues: the scope of “ordinary wages” and the size of this year’s pay raise.

Wage and collective bargaining talks have been deadlocked since negotiations collapsed in May 2025. The latest session is a follow-up mediation meeting involving management and union representatives, as well as mediators. If no agreement is reached, the union says it will launch an all-out strike beginning with the first buses on Tuesday morning.

At the heart of the dispute is whether regular bonuses should be included in ordinary wages. In December 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that bonuses should be recognized as part of ordinary wages, and the Seoul High Court echoed that view in October 2025 in an appeals case involving Dong-A Transportation.

The union argues that, as a result, statutory allowances would rise in tandem — pushing the effective pay increase to 12.8 percent.

Management counters that the court-recognized increase amounts to only around 6 to 7 percent and that granting additional demands would amount to a 19 percent raise in total, calling the union’s position excessive. It has also stressed fairness, noting that bus wage hikes in other metropolitan cities such as Busan, Daegu and Incheon have stayed in the 10 percent range.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will roll out emergency measures — including replacement services and additional subway trains — if talks break down. With two planned strikes in 2025 ultimately called off, attention is now on whether a last-minute deal can be reached again.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KO SEUNG-PYO [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]