Seoul bus union postpones strike; bus services running normally

Unionized bus workers in Seoul on Wednesday postponed a strike they had threatened during wage negotiations with employers, even after talks broke down, leaving bus services in the capital undisturbed.

The postponement was announced after Seoul's bus workers' union voted against a general strike in a meeting held following the collapse of wage negotiations with management the previous day.

The decision put on hold a general strike the union had threatened to stage early Wednesday morning if negotiations collapsed, with city officials confirming that bus services were running normally as of 4 a.m.

A union official said the union wanted to avoid a "meaningless" strike, having concluded that a walkout would do little to shift the positions of the employers and the city. The union plans to resume negotiations after taking necessary legal and administrative actions.

Unionized bus workers in Seoul and the three southeastern cities of Busan, Ulsan and Changwon and their management began wage negotiations Tuesday, with the unions demanding an 8.2 percent hike in base pay.

But the management has insisted that labor's proposal will have the effect of raising wages by 25 percent, if regular bonuses are included in the ordinary wage in accordance with the Supreme Court's recent ruling.

Some bus workers in Busan went on strike early Wednesday after wage negotiations collapsed, while Ulsan bus workers put their strike plan on hold as they chose to continue talks with management.