'Glad we could protect commuters' daily lives'
Unions must not set deadlines and threaten strikes before talks, mayor says
Citizen safety and peace of mind must come first in public transit
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon welcomed the withdrawal of a planned city bus strike Wednesday after labor and management reached a deal in early-morning negotiations, but cautioned that the risk of further conflict has not been eliminated and called on unions never again to threaten an all-out strike before meaningful talks have taken place.
Oh wrote on his SNS account that the threatened full strike had been called off after the two sides reached an agreement. "I am relieved that we were able to protect citizens' commutes and daily lives as usual, without major disruption," he said.
He said he respected the decision of both labor and management to find common ground after lengthy discussions on difficult issues, and added that he was grateful they had chosen agreement over a strike, recognizing the harm a walkout would have caused to the public.
However, Oh cautioned that not all problems had been resolved by the settlement. "Litigation over the calculation of ordinary wages is still ongoing, so the potential for conflict remains," he said. He went on to say that unions must never again unilaterally set a deadline and threaten an all-out strike before sufficient negotiations have been held. "Labor and management must talk fully and negotiate hard until they find a point of agreement, but throughout that process, citizens' commutes and livelihoods must not be put at risk," he said.
Oh said workers' legitimate rights must be fully protected, while a sustainable operating framework acceptable to citizens and within the Seoul Metropolitan Government's fiscal capacity must be built together. "It should not be one side's unilateral demands — labor, management and the city must put their heads together with citizens as the standard," he said.
He went on to say that the foremost value in public transit is citizen safety and a peaceful daily life. "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will do everything in its power, under any circumstances, to ensure citizens' feet never stop moving, and to create a public transit environment where people can ride with peace of mind," he said.
ikson@heraldcorp.com
