Seoul bus drivers end strike after reaching wage deal

Unionized bus drivers in Seoul have reached a collective wage deal with the management, ending a two-day strike that caused major disruptions for commuters, according to officials Thursday. The agreement was reached late Wednesday in a special mediation session at the Seoul branch of the National Labor Relations Commission following nine hours of negotiations, according to Seoul city government officials. Bus services in the capital were scheduled to operate normally starting Thursday morning, putting an end to the bus drivers’ first strike in two years, which began Tuesday after wage talks broke down. Under the finalized agreement, the two sides agreed on a 2.9 percent wage hike and to gradually extend the retirement age to 65 by July next year from the current 63. The strike had caused major inconvenience to commuters, with only 562, or 8 percent, of the city’s 7,018 intracity buses in operation Wednesday morning. The strike prompted the Seoul city government to increase the number of additional subway services during rush hour from 172 on Tuesday to 203 on Wednesday. The peak commuter

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