Gyeonggi bus unions are moving toward a general strike that could disrupt morning travel across the province on October 30. The strike is not yet final: labor and management, with Gyeonggi officials involved, are scheduled for a final mediation session at 3 p.m. on October 29. A breakdown would trigger the action from the first buses on October 30.
The dispute combines pay, working conditions and benefits. The unions are seeking a 20 percent wage increase, implementation of an earlier agreement on the wage gap with Seoul and other regions, new benefits including safety bonuses and influenza vaccinations, shorter working hours, and two consecutive weekly days off. The reported strike approval rate reached 97.7 percent as of October 28.
The province estimates that 854 routes and 4,130 buses could participate, representing about 46 percent of buses in Gyeonggi. The affected total includes 63 intercity routes and 942 buses serving travel between Gyeonggi and Seoul, so the figures describe overlapping parts of the same disruption rather than separate totals.
Gyeonggi and 15 cities and counties are preparing substitute transport if mediation fails. Suwon plans four temporary routes using 19 vehicles, while Bucheon plans to concentrate 377 buses on 35 existing routes during commuting hours. Anseong and Goyang have secured 33 and 22 replacement vehicles, respectively, and Gimpo plans to extend peak-hour service on the Gimpo Gold Line by 30 minutes. These measures are preparations, not evidence that a strike has been confirmed.