BUSAN — Busan has drawn up emergency transport measures as wage and collective bargaining talks between Busan Transportation Corp. and its union stall, raising the prospect of a strike that would disrupt the city's subway service.
The city said on the 21st that it held a response meeting with the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, Busan Transportation Corp. and the city of Yangsan to review their joint response system, after the union warned it would walk out from the first train on the 23rd if final negotiations break down.
Labor and management have held 18 rounds of collective bargaining since May without reaching an agreement. Mediation by the Busan Regional Labor Relations Commission also collapsed on the 29th of last month, and the union says it will strike as planned if the final round of talks scheduled for the 22nd fails to produce a deal.
If the strike goes ahead, the city plans to deploy essential-service staff and other personnel to keep subway operations at an average of about 75% of normal weekday levels.
On Lines 1 through 3, trains will run at the usual four- to five-minute intervals during morning and evening rush hours, when ridership is heaviest. Intervals at other times will stretch to between eight and 20 minutes, or about 58% of normal service. Line 4, which runs on a driverless automated system, will operate normally.
The city is also rolling out a range of measures to secure backup transport capacity. From the first day of the strike, it will lift the no-driving day under its voluntary vehicle rotation program, concentrate taxis around major subway stations and add services on city bus routes. If the strike drags on and the corporation requests additional manpower, city officials will be sent to stations to help with duties such as fare gate and platform operations.
"We hope both sides will hold active talks and reach an agreement quickly so that citizens are not inconvenienced by a subway strike," said Hwang Hyun-chul, head of the city's transportation bureau. "The city will keep its emergency transport measures and cooperation channels with related agencies closely in place to prepare for any eventuality, and will do everything it can to minimize inconvenience to citizens."