Kia Motors Union Enters Partial Strike Again... 'Adding Insult to Injury' Amid COVID-19

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Kia Motors labor union has decided to carry out additional partial strikes. This follows the suspension of daytime shifts at the Gwangju plant due to a confirmed COVID-19 case among production workers, signaling another red light for the company's performance recovery.

On the 30th, the Kia labor union held a dispute countermeasure committee meeting and decided to conduct partial strikes totaling 24 hours over three days: 8 hours each on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th of next month (4 hours in the morning + 4 hours in the afternoon). Additionally, during ongoing negotiations, they plan to hold 2-hour intermittent strikes. The committee will reconvene on the 4th, when the partial strikes end, to determine the direction of further actions.

Previously, the union declared a breakdown in this year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations and enforced partial strikes for three days starting from the 25th, resulting in a production loss of approximately 8,000 vehicles.

The Kia Motors union has conducted 14 main wage and collective bargaining negotiation sessions since the initial meeting on August 27 but continues to face difficulties reaching an agreement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.