Incheon City Buses Resume Normal Service as Labor and Management Reach Wage Deal, Averting Strike

Incheon’s city bus labor and management finalized their wage and collective bargaining agreement, allowing buses to run normally without the strike that had been feared. The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that labor and management reached an agreement after lengthy negotiations at a mediation session held by the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission on August 25.

[코리안투데이] Incheon city buses operating normally © 장형임 기자

Labor and management for Incheon’s city buses have finalized their wage and collective bargaining agreement. The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) said that, following a deal reached after lengthy negotiations at a mediation session of the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission on August 25, city buses operated normally without any strike.

Starting with an initial meeting on January 8, labor and management held a total of 11 rounds of voluntary negotiations, but when they failed to narrow their differences, they applied to the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission for mediation. They subsequently ironed out the points of contention through five mediation sessions and several informal meetings, reaching a final agreement that day after roughly 14 hours of discussion.

The core of the agreement consists of a 4.5% increase in the base hourly wage, a 15,000 won increase in the accident-free allowance (from 165,000 won to 180,000 won), and the elimination of the wage gap for contract drivers between city and metropolitan routes. With the base pay increase accompanied by higher allowances and the removal of pay disparities based on employment type, the deal is expected to contribute to improved working conditions and greater job stability for transit workers.

With the settlement, residents can use city buses without any transportation disruptions. Had the strike materialized, major confusion had been expected in public transit use, including during commuting hours, but as labor and management reached agreement, public transit operations were maintained normally. Because city buses are a key mode of public transportation used daily by large numbers of residents, this agreement carries significant weight in terms of guaranteeing residents’ right to mobility.

The city explained that the settlement was an achievement reached through continued dialogue and mediation among labor, management, and government, under a shared understanding that inconvenience to residents must be minimized. It particularly praised the fact that, even amid the possibility of a strike, each party approached the negotiations on the basis of mutual understanding and compromise, arriving at an amicable agreement.

The city said it will continue to prioritize guaranteeing residents’ right to mobility and providing stable public transportation services, and will keep up cooperation and communication among labor, management, and government going forward.

Park Sung-soon, director general of the city’s Transportation Policy Bureau, said, ‘This wage and collective bargaining settlement is the result of labor, management, and government working together to minimize inconvenience to residents and maintain stable city bus operations,’ adding, ‘We will continue to cooperate to enhance the stability and public value of public transportation services.’

지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화