Seoul-Incheon bus drivers agree to end strike

By Kim Rahn

A labor dispute at a bus company ended late Tuesday evening following a strike by drivers that lasted 37 days.

Bus operation between Seoul and Incheon will be normalized starting Thursday morning, with some 50,000 commuters being able to take the buses again.

The union and management of Samhwa Express agreed to improve working system, which was endorsed by more than 93 percent of the 346 union members through a vote.

They agreed to change the system for Seoul-Incheon route bus drivers to two shifts for 26 days per month from the previous once every two days shift. Their monthly salary will also go up slightly to 2.6 million won.

Union members driving cross-country buses will have a 4.5-percent increase in hourly wages.

No compensation for passengers

“The accord has come as the union gave up on a huge wage hike and management accepted a working system change. Operations will be normalized on Thursday, as we need time to check buses, which have not been used for sometime,” a union member said.

The union, which had gone on partial walkouts five times this year, launched the all-out strike on Oct. 10, and the management locked down the company. As the company accounts for about 70 percent of bus operations between Seoul and Incheon, the walkout forced about 50,000 commuters to take alternative transportation means such as subways and taxis.

Despite the end of the walkout, passengers showed dissatisfaction with the bus operator.

“I understand the drivers’ hardship such as low wages. But the strike was too long and both labor and management didn’t care for their customers. As commuters can’t get any compensation for the inconvenience they suffered, the company will have to provide a better service for them,” a blogger living in Incheon said.