Labor unions representing city bus drivers in 22 regions across South Korea—including Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province—have warned of a simultaneous nationwide strike if negotiations with management fail.

On May 8, the Federation of Korean Automobile and Transportation Workers’ Unions (FKATWU), under the Korean Federation of Trade Unions, held a representatives’ meeting and announced a joint response plan to the stalled talks. The meeting aimed to coordinate regional union strategies and unify their approach to ongoing disputes over regular wage reforms.

Following the meeting, FKATWU Chairman Seo Jong-soo told reporters, “All regional unions under the federation will file for mediation on May 12 and actively engage in negotiations during the 15-day mediation period. However, if no agreement is reached, a nationwide strike will commence with the first buses on May 28.”

Seo emphasized that the unions would remain open to dialogue and present all possible proposals at the negotiation table, stressing that a strike would only be a last resort aimed at minimizing public inconvenience.

In Seoul, labor-management talks concerning wage and collective bargaining agreements (CBA) have stalled following the breakdown of a second mediation session at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission on April 29. Since then, negotiations have effectively come to a halt. In response, the Seoul city bus union conducted a “work-to-rule” protest on April 30 and resumed such action on May 7.

If the strike goes ahead, significant disruptions are expected across public transportation systems, particularly in the capital and major cities. Calls for a swift and amicable resolution to mitigate commuter inconvenience are growing louder.

Photo=Yonhap News