Hyundai Motor to Work 62 Hours a Week with Ministry of Employment's Special Extended Work Approval

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The Ministry of Employment and Labor has approved Hyundai Motor Company's special extended working hours, allowing workers at the Ulsan plant to work up to 62 hours per week to produce vehicles. This is expected to ease the supply bottleneck of popular models such as the Genesis G80 and Hyundai Palisade, which had faced order backlogs.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 29th, the Ulsan branch office approved Hyundai Motor Ulsan plant's special extended working hours application on the 24th. Since then, extended working hours have been implemented in key departments such as the rear-wheel 8-speed transmission production line and the delivery center at the Ulsan plant. The transmission production line extended working hours by 8 hours, enabling a 60-hour workweek, while the delivery center extended by 10 hours, allowing up to 62 hours per week.

Special extended working hours is a system that allows workers to temporarily work beyond the 52-hour weekly limit with the worker's consent and approval from the Minister of Employment and Labor due to special circumstances. The business sector has long emphasized the need to expand the reasons for approval of special extended working hours to compensate for supply disruptions caused by COVID-19, and in January, the government included "business management reasons" in the revised enforcement regulations.

Earlier in March, Hyundai Motor's labor and management considered applying for special extended working hours in response to requests from partner companies affected by COVID-19. However, due to uncertain economic conditions at the time, they ultimately decided to postpone the application.

Hyundai Motor Ulsan Plant Main Gate

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