The Hyundai Motor Union is ramping up its strike activities this August. As negotiations for this year's wage and collective bargaining agreement remain stalled, the union is increasing pressure on the company following last month's partial strikes.
Last month's partial strikes already resulted in production losses of approximately 42,000 vehicles, and further escalation is expected to exacerbate these losses.
According to industry sources on August 11, the Hyundai union held a central countermeasure committee meeting at 2 p.m. to finalize additional strike schedules.
As a result, the union plans to conduct partial strikes of four hours each on August 12 and 13, totaling eight hours, and extend the strike duration to six hours (totaling 12 hours) on August 14 and 18.
Specifically, on August 12 and 13, day shift workers will strike from 10:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while night shift workers will strike from 7:30 p.m. to 12:10 a.m.
Regular day shift workers will join the partial strike from 12:40 p.m. to 4:40 p.m., and general staff will participate from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
On August 14 and 18, the strike duration will increase to six hours. Day shift workers will strike from 8:50 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and night shift workers will strike from 5:30 p.m. to 12:10 a.m.
Regular day shift workers and general staff will also participate in the six-hour partial strike. The sales, service, Namyang, and Mobis committees will adjust their strike totals according to their specific circumstances.
The union aims to regroup its efforts after the summer vacation and is committed to advancing its demands without wavering. However, if negotiations resume, the planned strikes for that day will be postponed. The next central countermeasure committee meeting is scheduled for August 18.
This strike is expected to further increase production disruptions at Hyundai. Previously, the company reported a total of 60 hours of production losses due to three partial strikes conducted by the union this year, estimating the impact on production at 42,510 vehicles.
The company also noted that, under the principle of no work, no pay, the average wage loss per technical worker amounts to 1.92 million won. For employees with 30 years of service, this could result in a reduction of approximately 14.01 million won in severance pay.
Currently, the Hyundai management and union are at an impasse over three major issues in the detailed wage negotiations: bonus increases, reinstatement of dismissed workers, and extension of retirement age.
The union stated, "It will be difficult to continue negotiations unless the company's stance changes." The management responded that negotiations can only proceed on the condition that the union withdraws its three core demands. Given the clear differences in positions, a stalemate between the union and management is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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