By Kim Rahn
Unionized drivers of a bus company continued striking for a second consecutive day Tuesday, inconveniencing citizens commuting to and from Seoul and Incheon.
The Samhwa Express drivers’ walkout for higher wages halted the operation of 242 buses on 20 routes between the two cities.
They are demanding a 20.6 percent wage increase on their hourly salary of 4,700 won, claiming it hasn’t been raised for the last 10 years, while the company has suggested a 3.5 percent rise.
To counter the strike, the company filed a report with the regional labor office to lock striking employees out Monday afternoon.
“The lockout indicates the management doesn’t intend to negotiate. The company takes citizens hostage and this leads to failure in reaching an agreement,” a member of the union said.
The union asked the labor center not to accept the report.
As the bus company accounts for 74 percent of the bus operations between Seoul and Incheon, about 50,000 people are suffering from the inconvenience of the stopped service. They have had to find alternative transportation, resulting in the subway being more crowded than usual.
An Internet user who commutes from Namdong in Incheon to Seoul said, “I had to take a community bus and transfer to the subway. I had to leave home 30 minutes earlier than usual and the transfer is exhausting.”
Another user said, “Even though the drivers may receive other allowances and bonuses, the hourly wage of 4,700 won is too low. Samhwa’s buses are always packed with people, and I don’t understand the management’s claim that it suffers a deficit.”