SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai Motor workers go on partial strike with more than 5,000 workers rallying in Ulsan to demand better working conditions

Record ID: 340861

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai Motor workers go on partial strike with more than 5,000 workers rallying in Ulsan to demand better working conditions
  • Date: 14th July 2012
  • Summary: EXTERIOR OF HYUNDAI PLANT FORKLIFT EMPTY ASSEMBLY LINE VARIOUS OF CARS AT ASSEMBLY LINE WORKING GLOVES ON VEHICLE MORE OF CARS IN ASSEMBLY LINE MORE OF EMPTY ASSEMBLY LINE
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Business,Industry,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA82MCZ94CYFZVTFMHGQ5M5S8C4
  • Story Text: More than 5,000 workers from South Korea's Hyundai Motor rallied in Ulsan on Friday (July 13) demanding better labour conditions, including higher wages and shorter working hours.
    On Friday, the country's Metal Workers Union, which also includes about 45,000 workers at Hyundai Motor, staged a partial walkout.
    The workers' union said over 31,000 members, representing 71 percent of 45,000 workers had voted for the work stoppage.
    The country's once-powerful trade unions, largely silenced by conservative President Lee Myung-bak's tough anti-labour stance since he came to power in 2008, are demanding better working conditions as this year's presidential elections approach and Lee's mandatory single term draws to an end.
    Workers rallied at Hyundai plant in Ulsan, southeast of Seoul, chanting slogans, such as "Abolish temporary workers' system! Abolish the night-time shift system!"
    The union said currently, temporary staff members, with the same workload as regular workers, do not receive the same salary and benefits, and do not receive adequate insurance.
    The Metal Workers' Union are also proposing overnight work to be scrapped, raising concerns among carmakers about production losses.
    "The key issues by our union members include a day-time-night time shift issue, a temporary workers issue and the distribution of bonus issue -- our union demands social responsibility by business groups," said Kwon O-il, secretary of External Relations at Metal Union's Hyundai Branch.
    The eight-hour stoppage on Friday will cost Hyundai an estimated 4,300 vehicles in lost production worth or 88 billion Korean won ($76.43-million), according to a company spokesman.
    He said the labour union is staging a "political, reckless strike" which would hurt corporate competitiveness during the global economic downturn.
    Hyundai's union leadership will decide on any future action on Monday (July 16), including whether to resume talks or to stage more strikes.
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