Buses line up at the transfer center near Seoul Station on the morning of May 7, as Seoul city bus drivers resumed their lawful operation. Yonhap News

A conflict over base pay between bus labor unions and management in Seoul is showing signs of spreading to bus operators nationwide.

On May 8, 22 bus workers’ unions affiliated with the Korean Automobile & Transport Workers’ Federation (KATWF), including those in Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, announced that they will stage a simultaneous strike on May 28 unless a collective bargaining agreement is reached by May 27. This would mark the first nationwide bus strike in 13 years, since 2012.

The workers’ unions held a national representatives’ meeting at the KATWF headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, where the participants sought a joint response from the bus workers’ unions in each region regarding base pay, which is a contentious issue in collective bargaining.

Seo Jong-su, head of the federation, said, “All affiliated regional bus workers’ unions will file for mediation simultaneously on May 12 and will do their best to reach an agreement during the 15-day mediation period. If no agreement is reached, a nationwide strike will begin with the first bus on May 28.” He added, “The unions will bring every proposal to the negotiating table and maintain an open stance in order to minimize inconvenience to the public.”

The strike will potentially affect all cities and provinces, including those with quasi-public bus systems. Around 40,000 buses, including city, intercity, and express buses, are expected to participate.

The Seoul Bus Union has already entered the mediation process as of April 29 and plans to focus on negotiations with management until midnight on May 27, while continuing its “lawful operation” campaign in the meantime.

An official from the Seoul Bus Union said, “We’ve proposed to both the Seoul Metropolitan Government and bus companies to engage in intensive talks until the 27th. The union has never once demanded that regular bonuses be included in base pay in order to raise wages.”

Negotiations over the wage and collective bargaining agreement between Seoul’s bus unions and management have stalled over disputes regarding the restructuring of the wage system in accordance with base pay standards.

Meanwhile, tension also exists between the Seoul Bus Union and the Seoul Metropolitan Government over the “lawful operation” campaign. In a public statement, the union claimed, “Due to Seoul’s on-time operation guidelines and company directives to maintain fixed intervals, drivers have been unable to fully comply with safety regulations. If intervals widen, companies receive penalty points in evaluations, which often result in driver disciplinary actions.”

The union called on the city to “refrain from penalizing drivers based on dispatch intervals and instead invest in more vehicles and staff to ensure both safety and punctuality.”

However, Seoul quickly pushed back. A city spokesperson said, “We have issued administrative guidance to prevent evaluation outcomes from being used to discipline drivers. We also acknowledge situations where the approved number of trips cannot be completed due to traffic conditions. The union’s allegations that Seoul is forcing illegal or unreasonable driving behavior and that the lawful operation campaign is a response to that are misleading and untrue.”