Breakdown Declared by Hyundai Motor Union: "Distribution Justice Not Achieved... We Will Not Let Go of Negotiations"

"Average Wage of Union Members Fails to Enter Top 50 Large Corporations...Harsh Criticism of Noble Unions"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The Hyundai Motor Branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stated on the 1st, "Hyundai Motor is distorting distributive justice and treating union members like servants despite the union's legitimate demands," adding, "We will confront this through the constitutionally guaranteed three labor rights."

The Hyundai Motor Branch released a press statement on the same day, saying, "Following the breakdown of collective bargaining yesterday, we have applied for mediation with the Central Labor Relations Commission, and on the 7th, we will hold a general assembly of union members to conduct a strike authorization vote."

The Hyundai Motor Branch first stated, "In last year's negotiations, while other large corporations and public enterprises implemented wage increases and boosted employee morale with generous performance bonuses, we accepted a wage freeze and insufficient performance bonuses to share in social difficulties and concluded the negotiations without dispute," adding, "The reason union members endured sacrifices was because they believed that if management had common sense, distributive justice for union members would be realized in this year's negotiations."

Furthermore, regarding the strike authorization vote, the Hyundai Motor Branch said, "It is the exercise of workers' legitimate rights guaranteed by the constitution," but also emphasized, "Even during the dispute period, negotiations with management will continue. If a reasonable proposal is presented and a request for negotiation is made, we will engage in negotiations at any time, keeping open the possibility of reaching an agreement before the holidays."

Additionally, the Hyundai Motor Branch stated, "The average wage of Hyundai Motor Branch union members does not even rank within the top 50 among large corporations, and criticism directed solely because we are the nation's largest unit union is too harsh," adding, "The social functions that Hyundai Motor workers have fulfilled should not be neglected and they should not be labeled as privileged workers. We will strive to conclude negotiations as soon as possible and move closer to the public and customers."

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