Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said of the city bus union's notice that it will launch a general strike from the first bus on the 16th if wage talks break down, "It is like holding citizens' right to mobility hostage to the negotiations." He added, "The government and the National Assembly must immediately move to amend the law to designate city buses as an essential public service before it is too late."
On the 14th, in a post on social media (SNS) titled "Citizens' feet must not be taken hostage again," Oh stated accordingly.
The Seoul city bus union plans to go on strike from the first bus on the 16th if no wage agreement is reached by the 15th.
The issue in this year's Seoul city bus labor-management talks is the standard hours for calculating ordinary wages. Citing the Supreme Court ruling that regular bonuses are included in ordinary wages, the union is demanding that the current standard hours for calculating ordinary wages be applied at 176 hours per month and is seeking a 7.85% wage increase. In contrast, the management side, the Seoul Bus Transport Business Association, is countering that litigation related to the calculation time for ordinary wages is still pending.
The standard hours are used to calculate how much per hour to consider ordinary wages paid on a monthly basis. The fewer the standard hours, the more wages rise. It is advantageous for the union to apply fewer standard hours, and for the association to apply longer hours.
Oh said, "The intent of the Supreme Court ruling must of course be respected," but added, "Using this ruling as a pretext to demand, all at once, a wage increase that imposes a heavy burden on the Seoul city budget is, by anyone's measure, excessive."
He went on, "There is plenty of room to negotiate at a reasonable level reflecting the ordinary wage ruling," adding, "Nevertheless, to demand an additional wage increase on top of the increase under the Supreme Court ruling and again preannounce a general strike is like holding citizens' right to mobility hostage to the negotiations."
Seoul City estimates that if it accepts all of the union's demands, the annual salary of long-serving city bus drivers would rise by nearly 20 million won at once, from about 68 million won last year to as much as 85 million won.
Oh said, "Such a rapid wage increase in just one year is not only difficult for any corporations to bear, but also does not meet the expectations of citizens who would ultimately shoulder the burden."
Oh also said, "Seoul City has continuously asked the government to amend the relevant laws so that city buses can be designated as an essential public service," adding, "Currently, railways, urban rail, and air transport are designated as essential public services, so minimum operations are ensured during strikes through essential maintenance personnel."
He added, "City buses, which are just as indispensable to citizens' daily lives, are excluded from that designation, making a general strike possible," and said, "The government and the National Assembly must immediately move to amend the law to designate city buses as an essential public service before it is too late."