KB News Desk
Hyundai Motor Co.’s labor union has decided to stage another round of partial strikes next week after failing to reach a wage agreement with management.
The union said Thursday that its central strike committee had decided to hold four-hour walkouts each day from July 29 to 31.
This follows two earlier rounds of strikes, with workers walking out for two hours a day from July 13 to 15 and for four hours a day from July 20 to 22. The union opted for additional strikes after negotiations with management remained deadlocked. The union and management have held 15 rounds of negotiations since July 8.
Industry watchers say Friday is effectively the deadline for reaching an agreement before the company’s summer vacation. By announcing additional strikes while allowing for one final round of talks before the holiday, the union appears to be increasing pressure on management.
If the two sides fail to reach a deal before the vacation period, negotiations are expected to resume in the second week of August, with the possibility of further strike action.
Earlier in the day, Hyundai Motor President and co-CEO Choi Young-il urged employees to “consider once again what is best for Hyundai Motor’s survival and for its employees.”
Choi said negotiations had stalled because the union had refused to continue talks unless management accepted three key demands: the reinstatement of dismissed union members, a preliminary agreement on extending the retirement age ahead of any legislative changes and a 50 percent increase in bonuses.
“If these were demands the company could reasonably accommodate, we would have already accepted them and finalized negotiations,” he said.
Choi warned that accepting demands the company considers unreasonable under pressure from strikes would set a damaging precedent and risk a return to more confrontational labor-management relations. He added that the company remains willing to present an improved offer on wages and performance-based bonuses at any time if the union withdraws the three demands.
