Hyundai Motor union launches partial strike starting Monday

The Korean Metal Workers' Union's Hyundai Motor chapter, representing workers at the country's largest automotive plant, began a partial strike Monday that runs through Wednesday. Morning-shift workers — who start at 6:45 a.m. — will stop work two hours early at 1:30 p.m., while the afternoon shift will walk out at 10:10 p.m.

Since the two sides held their first wage-negotiation meeting in May, they have gone through 15 rounds of talks. Hyundai Motor has offered a basic wage increase of 89,000 won ($59), a performance bonus of 350 percent plus 10 million won, and 15 shares of company stock. The union, however, is holding firm on demands for fair performance compensation, a 50 percent raise in bonuses, an extension of the mandatory retirement age, reinstatement of members dismissed for union activities deemed illegal, and the withdrawal of damage claims and provisional seizures against them.

Industry estimates suggest that halting the production line costs 18.7 billion won per hour, and total losses from 12 hours of strike action over three days could exceed 200 billion won.

Hyundai Motor Chief Executive Choi Young-il issued a statement Friday urging the union to reconsider. "The company has put forward its best proposals on most of the bargaining agenda items, so as not to betray the wishes of employees, parts suppliers and partners, and customers who want no further breakdown in negotiations," he said. "Please make a wise judgment for the future of Hyundai Motor."

Choi also made clear that the reinstatement of dismissed workers is a matter already settled by court ruling and therefore not subject to labor-management negotiations, and that extending the retirement age is a legislative issue currently under national debate — not one that can be resolved at the level of an individual company.

The union pushed back in a newsletter the same day. "We asked them to provide answers to problems that have gone unresolved for years, and they responded by asking why we keep raising issues that have gone unresolved for years," it said, adding that "the company has not given a responsible answer to the core demands of our members."