Seoul bus drivers threaten to strike

By Kim Rahn

Bus drivers in Seoul are planning to go on strike Friday if the association of companies running services refuses to accept their demand for a pay increase.

The drivers’ union said Tuesday that more than 91 percent of its 16,379 members voted for the walkout the previous day. Some 98 percent of Seoul’s bus drivers belong to the union.

The association and union plan to hold last-minute negotiations but both sides seem unlikely to reach a compromise anytime soon. If the strike starts as planned, it will be the first walkout since 1997.

“For the last eight years, our wages have increased by less than an average of 2 percent per year. As bus fares rose by 150 won earlier this year, our salary should also rise,” Lee Tae-joo, director of the union, said.

Lee is demanding a wage hike of 9.5 percent, while the association wants to freeze wages.

“The operators and Seoul City have maintained the wage-freeze stance without an alternative proposal, so we have no option but to go on a strike,” Lee said.

The association and the city government said drivers’ wages were raised by 50 percent in July 2004 when the city adopted a quasi-public operation system for buses. Accordingly, a joint organization manages the revenue of the association’s member companies, and in the case of a deficit, the city government covers the losses. In exchange the city holds the right to determine bus routes.

They also said the average wage of Seoul drivers is much higher than those in other regions and drivers of other forms of transport.

“Drivers who have worked for four to seven years earn an average of 40 million won per year, almost double the income of community bus drivers who earn 21 million won and taxi drivers who earn 20 million won. It is also a similar level to the annual salary of subway engine drivers with five years experience,” a city official said.

But Lee said, “The 40 million won the city claims include special allowances we receive only when we work overtime on Saturdays or when we don’t cause an accident. Without the allowances, the salary of a driver after five years is about 31 million won.”

The union also partly blamed Seoul Metropolitan Government for the collective action, saying the city’s plan to decrease the number of buses will lead to fewer jobs for bus drivers.

The two sides will negotiate for a final time with the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Committee today. If they fail to reach an agreement, the union will walk out.

The union voted to hold strikes in 2005, 2007 and 2009 but each time a compromise was reached.

As buses account for 26 percent of the total transportation in the capital, the city government is preparing measures to cope with possible traffic chaos if the strike takes place. Subway trains will run more frequently and hours of operation will be extended. A similar measure for community buses is being worked out.

“We plan to operate charter buses between subway stations and major bus stops. We are also considering encouraging schools and public firms to allow their students or workers to start at a later time than usual,” the city official said.