Incheon Metropolitan City and the 11 districts and counties under its jurisdiction have concluded their 2026 wage and collective bargaining negotiations with public service workers. Ongjin-gun County (Governor Jang Jung-min) said on the 21st that a "2026 Wage and Collective Agreement Signing Ceremony" was held on the 20th in the mid-sized conference room of the Ongjin-gun County Office, attended by Incheon Metropolitan City, the 11 districts and counties, and the Incheon Regional Branch of the National Local Government Public Service Workers' Headquarters of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (Branch Head Kim Myung-il).
 [The Korean Today] 2026 public service workers' wage and collective agreement signing ceremony © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
The centerpiece of the new agreement is improved working conditions. Base pay for public service workers will rise 3.5%. The bonus calculation standard will increase from 23% to 35% of Step 15 base pay, a rise of 12 percentage points. The pay step cap will also be raised by one level, from Step 31 to Step 32. As long-serving workers become eligible for further step increases, the problem of their wages being frozen at the cap is expected to be partially resolved.
Reaching the agreement took a long time. Labor and management held a total of 10 main bargaining sessions, beginning with the first in April 2025. They also held 23 working-level sessions to address detailed issues. After more than a year of negotiations, the two sides finalized the terms of the wage and collective agreements and concluded talks with the official signing on the day.
The negotiations were conducted with Incheon Metropolitan City and the 11 districts and counties acting as a single employer in talks with the regional public service workers' union. Rather than each local government negotiating separately, the structure applies the same standards across all of Incheon. As a result, public service workers in every district and county in the city, including southern Incheon, will receive the same level of wage increases and improved working conditions.
Public service workers handle frontline duties for local governments, including administrative support, facility management and environmental maintenance. Their working conditions directly affect the quality and stability of public services provided to residents. With labor and management signing the agreement without conflict, frontline administrative services can continue to run stably.
 [The Korean Today] Labor and management officials attending the public service workers' wage and collective agreement signing ceremony © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Attending the ceremony on the management side were Lim Hyun-taek, deputy governor of Ongjin-gun County, and Yoon Byung-chul, director general of administration for Incheon Metropolitan City, while Kim Myung-il, head of the Incheon Branch of the union's Public Service Workers' Headquarters, represented labor. Including them, about 40 labor and management officials attended.
Deputy Governor Lim said, "I thank the negotiators on both the labor and management sides for reaching an amicable agreement through dialogue and compromise." He added, "I hope cooperative labor-management relations will continue going forward, based on mutual respect and trust."
With this agreement, the 2026 standards for the wage system and working conditions of public service workers in Incheon have been set. As labor and management reached a deal after lengthy negotiations, observers say a foundation has been laid for public sector labor relations to continue through dialogue.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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