{
  "id": 7508240,
  "title": "Seoul's city bus union sets 9 p.m. Tuesday deadline for strike",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/seouls-city-bus-union-sets-9-p-m-tuesday-deadline-for-strike-7508240",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-15T08:32:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260915/seouls-city-bus-union-sets-9-pm-tuesday-deadline-for-strike"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Seoul's unionized city bus workers have set a deadline of 9 p.m. on Tuesday to continue negotiations, threatening to go on strike the following morning if no agreement is reached. The dispute revolves around the calculation of hourly wage rates, with the union proposing to include regular bonuses in ordinary wages and raising wages by 7.85 percent based on a standard of 176 monthly work hours. Bus companies and the Seoul city government, however, reject this demand, arguing that it would equate to a wage increase of around 16 percent. The union is prepared to launch a general strike, beginning with the first buses at 4 a.m. on Wednesday if the talks fail by the 9 p.m. Tuesday deadline. Union deputy secretary-general Yoo Jae-ho stated that the union is not solely focused on the 7.85 percent wage increase and would consider reaching an agreement if the 176 monthly work hour standard is accepted. Some other regions have also implemented wage increases exceeding 5 percent.",
  "summary": "Seoul's unionized city bus workers said Tuesday that they will continue negotiations only until 9 p.m. and launch a general strike the following morning if the talks fail. Unionized city bus workers and bus companies have been locked in a dispute over how to calculate the hourly wage rate after including regular bonuses in ordinary wages. The union has called for calculating ordinary wages based…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Seoul's city bus union sets 9 p.m. Tuesday deadline for strike",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/seouls-city-bus-union-sets-9-p-m-tuesday-deadline-for-strike",
        "published": "2026-09-15T07:43:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Seoul's city bus union sets 9 p.m. Tuesday deadline for strike",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/seouls-city-bus-union-sets-9-p-m-tuesday-deadline-for-strike-7503097",
        "published": "2026-09-15T08:02:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}