- Union workers in South Korea are gearing up for strikes later this week.
- Walkouts are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at various plants.
- Workers seek a shorter work week, higher pay, and a performance bonus.
Hyundai recently celebrated record breaking sales in the United States, but things aren’t as rosy in South Korea. Quite the opposite as union members are planning to engage in a series of limited strikes.
According to Reuters, the strikes will impact various facilities across the country including those in Asan, Jeonju, and Ulsan. This suggests an assortment of different models could be impacted including the Hyundai Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade, Sonata, and Grandeur. The strikes may also impact the Genesis G70, G80, G90, GV60, GV70, and GV80.
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That’s a long list and it’s just scratching the surface as an assortment of other models could also be impacted. However, the strikes will be fairly brief as they’re only expected to last two hours on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the strike will be expanded to four hours.
Union members are reportedly asking for a series of changes including a switch to a four and a half-day work week as well as raising the retirement age from 60 to 64. The Dow Jones Newswire also reported that workers are seeking a $102 (₩141,300) monthly pay increase and a performance bonus that would be equivalent to 30% of last year’s net profit.
The newswire added that 86% of workers voted in favor of the strikes, despite an offer to increase wages and institute a bonus. However, those apparently fell short of union demands.
It remains unclear if the strikes will continue, but Reuters noted the union hasn’t gone on a full-time strike in nearly a decade over wages. This suggests the stakes may not be as high as they appear, although only time will tell.
