HMM Haewon Union Approves Strike... Collective Resignation Letters to Be Submitted on the 25th

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The HMM Haewon United Labor Union (Maritime Union) announced on the 23rd that the strike vote conducted among its members was approved.

According to the HMM Maritime Union on the 23rd, a strike vote was held for 24 hours starting at noon the previous day among all 453 union members, with 434 participating. Of those, 400 members (88.3% of total membership, 92.1% of voters) voted in favor.

Accordingly, the HMM Maritime Union plans to submit collective resignation letters on the 25th. For ships arriving at Busan Port (ship not yet determined), the union will conduct a collective disembarkation and refuse boarding of workers until they present PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test certificates for cargo handling and laborers.

Additionally, they are considering submitting a collective support letter to MSC, a Swiss-flagged shipping company. Depending on the strike vote results of the Land Union (office workers' union), they plan to form a Joint Struggle Committee (tentative name) to coordinate legal compliance strikes and other joint responses.

However, the Haewon Union stated, "If the management proposes a progressive offer, we are willing to continue negotiations."

Previously, on the 20th, the Maritime Union secured the right to strike after the second mediation with management at the Central Labor Relations Commission ended without agreement. The Land Union also secured the right to strike after the third mediation failed on the 19th.

HMM management proposed an 8% wage increase, a 300% bonus, and a 200% incentive payment after the year-end settlement to both unions. In response, the union proposed an 8% wage increase and an 800% bonus in the final mediation, but the management reportedly rejected this.

Jeon Jeong-geun, chairman of the Maritime Union, said in a statement, "We plan to submit collective resignation letters to transfer to MSC in order to protect our families," adding, "We hope this opportunity will help people understand how the Korean seafarers, who handle 99.7% of South Korea's imports and exports, have been risking their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic."

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