The Seoul city bus union announced early Tuesday (Jan. 13) that, due to a breakdown in negotiations over wages and the collective labor contract with management, they will initiate an indefinite and comprehensive strike starting from the first bus of the day, which is expected to impact citizens' commuting.
It is reported that after more than 10 hours of "marathon" negotiations, both labor and management were unable to reach an agreement on salary issues. Consequently, the union decided to officially launch the general strike at 4 am as originally planned. The Seoul city government activated an emergency transportation plan starting from the first bus at 4 am that day, deploying alternative transportation resources to alleviate traffic pressure during peak commuting hours.
Regarding the subway system, morning peak hours have been extended from 7 am to 10 am, one hour longer than before, with additional trains scheduled. Night service hours will also be extended until 2 am the following morning, resulting in a total of 172 additional train services each day. To enhance connections with subway stations, free shuttle buses will be provided across 25 districts in Seoul.
The city government stated that all available transportation resources will be mobilized to minimize inconvenience for citizens. At the same time, the city government urged the bus union to consider the inconvenience faced by citizens during the morning peak hours and to return to work as soon as possible.
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