Seoul city bus union to go on strike Wednesday after wage talks fail

Seoul city bus workers will begin a general strike at 4 a.m. Wednesday after wage talks with management failed in Seoul on Tuesday. The union said the dispute centers on how to calculate ordinary wages after regular bonuses are included. Seoul city government plans emergency transport measures, including up to 1,500 free shuttle buses and more subway service during rush hours. The union said negotiations would continue until midnight.

About 7,000 city buses operated by 64 companies run on roughly 390 routes in Seoul.

The union wants ordinary wages calculated based on 176 monthly work hours and is seeking a 7.85 percent wage increase.

Bus companies and the Seoul city government say the union's proposal would amount to about a 16 percent wage increase.

The Seoul city government estimates that a 1 percent wage increase would add about 14 billion won in annual costs.

If all of the union's demands are accepted, the city says its annual bus system deficit could double to about 1 trillion won.

Published Sep 15, 2026 11:04 pm KST

Updated Sep 15, 2026 11:17 pm KST

A sign announcing emergency transportation measures in response to the Seoul city bus strike stands at the Seoul Station bus transfer center in central Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The union representing Seoul city bus workers said Tuesday it will launch a general strike starting with the first buses the following morning after wage talks with management ended without an agreement.

The labor and management held their second round of mediation talks at the regional labor relations commission in the day, but their eight-hour talks failed to produce a breakthrough, according to the union.

Accordingly, the union plans to begin the strike at 4 a.m. Wednesday as threatened earlier. About 7,000 city buses operated by 64 companies run on roughly 390 routes in Seoul.

The Seoul city government said it will implement emergency transportation measures in response to the strike, including deploying up to 1,500 free shuttle buses to and from subway stations and increasing subway services during rush hours.

Despite the failed mediation, the union said it would continue negotiations with management until midnight.

Representatives of Seoul's city bus companies and unionized bus workers attend wage negotiations at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission in the capital city, Tuesday. Yonhap

Unionized city bus workers and bus companies have been locked in a dispute over how to calculate the hourly wage rate after including regular bonuses in ordinary wages.

The union has called for calculating ordinary wages based on 176 monthly work hours and raising wages by 7.85 percent. However, bus companies and the Seoul city government have rejected the demand, saying the proposed calculation would effectively result in a wage increase of approximately 16 percent.

Yoo Jae-ho, deputy secretary-general of the union, said the union is willing to reach an agreement if the 176-hour monthly work standard is recognized, adding that the 7.85 percent wage increase is not a fixed demand.

Yoo also rejected management's claim that accepting the union's demands would raise bus drivers' annual salaries to 85 million won ($62,500), saying their average annual salary is estimated at 59 million won this year.

City buses in Seoul and other big cities nationwide are operated under a semi-public management system, in which bus companies run the services while the municipal government covers their losses.

The Seoul city government estimates that a 1 percent wage increase would add about 14 billion won in annual costs and that accepting all of the union's demands could double the city's annual bus system deficit to about 1 trillion won.

首尔市公交车工人将于周三凌晨4点开始举行总罢工，此前他们与资方周二在首尔举行的工资谈判破裂。工会表示，争议的焦点在于如何在计入常规奖金后计算普通工资。首尔市政府计划采取紧急交通措施，包括提供多达1500辆免费接驳巴士，并在高峰时段增加地铁班次。工会表示，谈判将持续到午夜。

首尔市内约有 64 家公司运营着约 7000 辆城市公交车，行驶在约 390 条线路上。

工会希望按每月 176 个工作小时计算普通工资，并寻求 7.85% 的工资增长。

公交公司和首尔市政府表示，工会的提议相当于工资上涨约 16%。

首尔市政府估计，工资上涨 1% 将使每年的成本增加约 140 亿韩元。

如果工会的所有要求都被接受，市政府表示，其公交系统年度赤字可能会翻一番，达到约 1 万亿韩元。

发布于2026年9月15日晚上11:04（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月15日晚上11:17（韩国标准时间）

周二，首尔市中心首尔站公交换乘中心竖起了一块告示，宣布为应对首尔市公交车罢工而采取的紧急交通措施。（韩联社）

代表首尔市公交车工人的工会周二表示，由于与管理层的工资谈判未能达成协议，他们将从第二天早上首班车开始发起总罢工。

据工会称，劳资双方当天在地区劳资关系委员会举行了第二轮调解谈判，但长达八小时的谈判未能取得突破。

因此，工会计划按原计划于周三凌晨4点开始罢工。首尔市内约有7000辆公交车，由64家公司运营，行驶在约390条线路上。

首尔市政府表示，将采取紧急交通措施应对罢工，包括部署多达 1500 辆免费接驳巴士往返地铁站，并在高峰时段增加地铁班次。

尽管调解失败，工会表示将继续与资方谈判至午夜。

周二，首尔市公交车公司代表和公交车工会成员在首尔地方劳动关系委员会参加工资谈判。（韩联社）

城市公交车工会成员和公交公司就如何在普通工资中加入定期奖金后计算小时工资率的问题陷入了争论。

工会要求将正常工资按每月176小时工作制计算，并提高7.85%。然而，公交公司和首尔市政府拒绝了这一要求，称该计算方法实际上会导致工资上涨约16%。

工会副秘书长柳在浩表示，如果每月176小时的工作标准得到承认，工会愿意达成协议，并补充说，7.85%的工资增长并不是固定要求。

Yoo还驳斥了管理层关于接受工会要求将公交车司机年薪提高到8500万韩元（62500美元）的说法，称他们今年的平均年薪估计为5900万韩元。

首尔和全国其他大城市的城市公交车采用半公共管理制度运营，公交公司负责运营服务，而市政府则承担其亏损。

首尔市政府估计，工资上涨 1% 将使每年的成本增加约 140 亿韩元，而接受工会的所有要求可能会使该市公交系统的年度赤字翻一番，达到约 1 万亿韩元。