Gyeonggi bus drivers threaten strike

A group of bus driver unions in Gyeonggi Province said it would go on strike on Sept. 16 to demand higher wages and a reduction of working hours.

Out of the 30 bus operators in the province, eight companies ― including Kyungwon Transport, Samgyoung City Bus, Boyoung City Bus and Suwon City Bus ― have faced deadlocks in negotiations with their unions over labor conditions.

The eight unions declared Sunday that they would stage a strike from Tuesday in protest of the “low-quality” working conditions if they failed to reach an agreement with their respective managements by Monday.

“Bus drivers in Gyeonggi Province are suffering from longer working hours (compared to drivers) in the Seoul metropolitan area and relatively low pay,” said a union leader.

While an average Seoul bus driver’s working hours stood at about 198 hours per month, Gyeonggi Province drivers have longer work times ranging from 204 to 228 hours, according to the eight unions.

They also claimed that Seoul workers were being paid 3.58 million won ($3,470) a month on average, while the monthly salary for Gyeonggi drivers stayed around 2.6 million won.

They issued a warning that long work hours could be linked to a growing number of traffic accidents.

More than 90 percent, or 3,661 of the 3,955 drivers, from the eight unions cast yes ballots for a general strike in a two-day voting session over the weekend.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)