In January this year, Seoul city buses stopped for two days. It was the fallout from a general strike by the city bus union after wage and collective bargaining talks broke down. For the same reason, city bus service was suspended for six days in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, and for 19 hours in Ulsan last year. In these areas, city buses are virtually the only means of public transportation. With city buses, the "poor person's wheels," at a standstill, citizens had to bear the damage as is.

A citywide bus strike in January prompts the Seoul Station bus transfer center display board to announce that city buses are holding at depots. /Courtesy of News1

According to local governments on the 7th, eight metropolitan governments that operate the semi-public city bus system, including Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Changwon, decided to jointly submit a proposal to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). The aim is to designate city buses as a "essential public interest business" so that a minimum service level is maintained even during strikes.

Subways, aviation, and railways designated as essential public interest businesses typically maintain around 90% service even during strikes. To include city buses, a legal amendment is needed to expand the scope of essential public interest businesses under the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.

However, related discussions have not progressed for months. Initially, local governments planned to submit a joint proposal by the end of February, but it had not been done even on the 6th.

During the Seoul city bus strike, people wait for buses at a stop near an apartment complex in Gyeonggi Province. /Courtesy of Yonhap News

Some analysts say it is due to the upcoming June 3 local elections. A local government official said, "There was an opinion to re-discuss the timing of the submission ahead of the elections." Another local government official also said, "As it coincides with the election phase, focus on the issue may weaken."

In some regions, vacancies in local government leadership are also a factor. Daegu and Changwon, among others, are under acting mayor systems, and there is a mood to restart related discussions after the elections.

As discussions are delayed like this, concerns are emerging that the push to designate city buses as essential public interest businesses may fizzle out altogether. A local government official said, "A system to reduce harm to citizens should not be swayed by political logic."

Among local governments operating the semi-public city bus system, only Gyeonggi and Jeju have not joined the joint proposal. Gyeonggi Province also goes through growing pains every year in wage and collective bargaining with the city bus union, and negotiations repeatedly continue until just before a strike.

However, Gyeonggi Province is reportedly of the view that innovation of the semi-public city bus system should be prioritized before designating it as an essential public interest business.

The morning of the 13th at Sadang Station on Seoul Subway Line 4. With the city bus strike, the station interior is crowded with people trying to use the subway. /Courtesy of ChosunBiz DB

Some also analyze that the stance of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) has had an effect. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, representing local governments, has repeatedly proposed designating city buses as essential public interest businesses, but it was not accepted. The ministry noted a "difficult to accept" position, saying, "Designation as an essential public interest business is an issue where labor and management have sharply conflicting interests and requires careful review."

A Seoul Metropolitan Government official said, "We have been continuously sending official documents to the ministry asking it to review designation as an essential public interest business by Seoul itself, but we have not received a reply."

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