Overview

• Unionized drivers voted 49–11 to postpone the planned May 28 general strike after wage talks with management broke down, allowing buses to operate normally from 4 a.m.
• The dispute centers on the union’s demand for an 8.2 percent base-pay hike and inclusion of regular bonuses in ordinary wages under a recent Supreme Court ruling versus management’s view that it amounts to a 25 percent raise.
• Seoul officials had prepared extra subway services, extended train hours and free shuttle buses to mitigate any strike impact before canceling the emergency transport plan when the walkout was called off.
• Union leaders judged a strike unlikely to change employer or city stances and said it would unduly burden early-morning workers and commuters ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
• The union plans to file legal and administrative challenges and to resume collective bargaining with bus operators and municipal authorities in the coming days.