Bus services across Gyeonggi Province were set to run from the first departures on October 30 after labor and management reached an agreement around 2:30 a.m. and withdrew a planned general strike. The deal followed negotiations that began at 3 p.m. the previous day and continued through the night.
The two sides agreed to a 3.2 percent wage increase for both privately operated and semi-public routes. Management also accepted union demands for two rest days each week, influenza vaccinations and three days of reward leave each year for drivers with no accidents. A union demand for wages equal to those of Seoul bus drivers was deferred for later discussion.
- Wage settlement
- 3.2 percent increase for private and semi-public routes
- Agreement reached
- Around 2:30 a.m. on October 30
- Deferred issue
- Pay parity with Seoul bus drivers
The wage dispute had centered on an earlier commitment that the union said should bring Gyeonggi pay up to Seoul levels beginning this year. The union sought increases of 30 percent on private routes and 21.56 percent on semi-public routes, while management cited worsening provincial finances and had argued for measures including a wage freeze on private routes. The final 3.2 percent settlement was substantially below the union’s initial proposals but was sufficient for the strike notice to be lifted.
Thousands of buses remained in service
Had the talks collapsed, 4,130 buses serving 854 routes in 15 cities across northern and southern Gyeonggi were scheduled to stop running from the first services of the day. Suwon, Yongin and Goyang were among the cities facing disruption. Those figures describe the service that was at risk, not buses or routes that ultimately stopped, because the agreement was reached before the planned walkout began.
The settlement preserves scheduled service while adding wage, leave, health and accident-free benefits for drivers. The unresolved comparison with Seoul remains outside this agreement, and any further change to that pay gap will depend on later negotiations between the union and management.