Seoul's city bus union pushed back directly against Mayor Oh Se-hoon after he urged the union to refrain from a full strike, asking who was "the main culprit that has driven bus workers to strike twice." The union also disputed the city's claim that legal disputes remain over the standard hours used to calculate ordinary wages, saying the Supreme Court has already ruled on the matter.
The Seoul City Bus Labor Union issued a statement on the 14th saying the city "should deeply reflect on its irresponsible administration that has driven bus workers to the cliff edge of a strike twice in a single year," and called on Oh to join negotiations in person. Earlier that day, Oh criticized the union's strike notice on Facebook, saying citizens' transportation "must not be held hostage again."
The union said the city has not engaged actively in talks. At the first mediation session at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission on the 9th of this month, the union proposed meeting every day regardless of weekends or the hour, but the city and management rejected the offer, according to the union. It also noted that no city official and no chairman of the Seoul Bus Transport Business Association attended that session.
The two sides remain far apart on the central issue of the standard hours used to calculate ordinary wages. Oh said related litigation is still under way, but the union argued that the Supreme Court has already issued a final ruling in the Dong-A Transportation case on whether regular bonuses count as ordinary wages and on the application of 176 hours a month. Because Seoul's city bus companies operate under the same collective agreement and wage accord, the union says the same ruling should apply to other companies as well.
The union also said delayed interest on unpaid wages is mounting as the city's response drags on. About 50 billion won ($36 million) in interest has accrued so far, with more than 140 million won added each day, the union said.
The union left the door open to further negotiations, however. "We will talk to the end at the mediation session on the 15th and find common ground," it said, adding that it is "ready to meet Mayor Oh directly right now to discuss a solution."
If labor and management fail to reach an agreement in the final mediation on the 15th, a full strike could begin with the first buses on the 16th.
