Breaking Gyeonggi Bus Labor-Management 11-Hour Marathon Negotiations End in 'Dramatic Agreement'...Strike Withdrawn, Normal Service Resumed

The Gyeonggi regional city bus labor-management, which faced the brink of a strike crisis, reached a dramatic agreement after more than 11 hours of marathon negotiations. Accordingly, the strike scheduled for the first service on the 30th, which the union had announced, was abruptly withdrawn, and buses throughout the province will operate normally on all routes.

According to the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission and labor circles on the 30th, the Gyeonggi Regional Automobile Labor Union and the Gyeonggi Bus Transport Business Association held overnight negotiations in the final adjustment meeting that began at 3 p.m. the previous day, and dramatically reached an agreement in the early morning of that day.

Both sides initially passed the legal adjustment deadline of 11 p.m. on the 29th and faced a temporary negotiation breakdown, but after agreeing to extend the deadline, found common ground after repeatedly adjourning and resuming negotiations until early morning.

◇ Bridging Gap with Seoul Buses·Final Breakthrough on Wage Increase Plans

Both the union and management reached a compromise through final coordination on wage increase rates and improved treatment compared to Seoul buses, which were the biggest obstacles. The union demanded wage increase plans to close the wage gap with Seoul buses, while management and Gyeonggi Province opposed this citing fiscal deficits, but reached an agreement through mutual concessions.

At the same time, they found common ground on major union demands including reduced working hours and improved working conditions, leading to the decision to withdraw the strike.

◇ Overcame Crisis of 4,130 Buses Coming to Standstill...Avoided Morning Commute Traffic Chaos

With this agreement, the operational suspension of 854 routes operated by 29 bus companies with 4,130 vehicles (including 942 express buses) was avoided. Initially, when negotiations broke down, serious commute traffic confusion was feared centered around 14 cities, but as news of the agreement reached just before the first service, residents were spared a crisis of immobility.

Gyeonggi Province also lifted its emergency transport measures, which had been established in preparation for the strike, including deployment of charter buses at major transit points and increased service on railways and village buses, and switched to normal operations.