Korean Unions at Hyundai Motor Vote to Strike

South Korean media reports that Hyundai Motor Company unions will stage strikes in the wake of stalled talks...

Since its establishment in 1987, the Hyundai union in Korea has staged strikes lasting a total of 286 days, and unionized Hyundai workers have gone on strike every year since 1995.

Hyundai Motor estimates its losses due to the strikes at $8 billion.

The labor union of Kia Motors said it will vote Friday on whether to strike.

Highlights of Korean media note:
Unionized workers of Hyundai Motor Co., Korea's largest automaker, plan to go on strike today after failed talks with management over pay and working conditions.

The union of Hyundai Motor said on Wednesday it will stage a four-hour walkout Thursday, two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

The union added that it will walk out for six hours tomorrow to join the rally by the Korean Metal Workers Federation, in which the union takes the majority, and leave work again next Tuesday for the national laborers’ meeting.

On Tuesday, 70.9 percent of 42,521 unionized workers voted in favor of a walkout, according to the union.

The union has demanded a greater say in managerial affairs, an 8.5-percent rise in base salaries and a special bonus equivalent to 30 percent of wages.

The management refuses to accept the demands, citing high oil prices, a protracted economic slump and lower overseas demand for its vehicles.