SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - Members of Hyundai Motor's labor union who continue working during scheduled strike hours could face disciplinary action, with additional walkouts threatened against entire departments if violations are confirmed, the union said Thursday.
The warning came as the union entered its third round of partial strikes this week after wage and collective bargaining talks with the automaker stalled. The union plans four-hour walkouts through Friday, with both production and office workers taking part.
Hyundai Motor shares were trading at 345,000 won as of 2:12 p.m. Thursday on the Korea Exchange, down 2.40%, or 8,500 won, from the previous close of 353,500 won. The stock had climbed as high as 369,000 won earlier in the session before falling back. It was not immediately clear whether the decline was tied to the strike or to broader market conditions.
Unlike production workers, whose duties stop when assembly lines shut down, office employees often return to accumulated workloads after participating in strikes because many administrative responsibilities must still be completed afterward.
Some office workers also handle time-sensitive tasks involving suppliers, financial institutions and other outside parties, making it difficult to suspend work without creating backlogs or missing contractual deadlines.
The union said members who work during strike hours at management's request could face disciplinary measures, with additional strike action possible against their departments. It added that employees who voluntarily continue working without management's instruction could also face sanctions for violating strike guidelines.
The union's stance has raised questions about the scope of its internal disciplinary authority. In a separate recent case, the Seoul Southern District Court ruled that a labor union could not expel members solely for refusing to participate in industrial action, saying the alleged violations and the union's disciplinary grounds had not been sufficiently established.
The current round of walkouts will continue through Friday before the union begins its summer vacation. Its central strike committee is scheduled to meet on Aug. 11 to review the status of negotiations and decide whether to escalate industrial action.
The union is seeking a 149,600-won increase in monthly base pay, a bonus equivalent to 30 percent of last year's net profit, a bonus increase from 750 percent to 800 percent of base pay, an extension of the retirement age linked to national pension eligibility, stronger job protections as artificial intelligence and robotics are introduced, and the adoption of a fully fixed monthly wage system.
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