HMM Haewon Union Delays Submission of Collective Resignation Letters... "Re-negotiation on the 1st of Next Month" (Comprehensive)

Collective Resignation and Group Job Change Cards Remain Valid
Joint Struggle Committee Launches on the 24th
Land and Maritime Unions to Hold Joint Press Conference on the 31st

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The HMM Haewon United Union (Seafarers' Union) has temporarily postponed the submission of collective resignation letters from its members. This appears to be in consideration of the potential aftermath equivalent to a strike, such as a logistics crisis that could occur if the collective resignation letters were submitted.

On the 25th, the HMM Haewon Union announced that it will hold renegotiations on wage talks with management on the 1st of next month. This is a follow-up measure after the labor and management representatives, including HMM President Bae Jae-hoon, Kim Jin-man, Chairman of the Land Union, and Jeon Jeong-geun, Chairman of the Haewon Union, held a five-hour final wage negotiation at HMM headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul the previous afternoon but failed to narrow their differences.

At the meeting, President Bae conveyed to the union side a request to "understand the company's circumstances," but did not mention any new wage proposals separately, reportedly only reaffirming the differences between the two sides.

The Haewon Union had originally planned to submit collective resignation letters to management on this day but postponed the submission to review the results of the renegotiations and the upcoming strike vote of the Land Union. However, the Haewon Union has left open the possibility of using collective action as a card depending on circumstances. The Land Union will hold a strike vote on the 31st.

The Haewon Union stated, "Currently, 39 vessels and 317 maritime employees have submitted collective resignation letters, shift change applications, or MSC resumes," adding, "Except for about 120 employees on leave and vessels without union members, most union members and vessels have submitted resignation letters." This refutes claims made earlier that no seafarers have left despite recruitment announcements by the Swiss shipping company MSC.

They also reiterated that HMM maritime workers are not receiving proper treatment.

The Haewon Union criticized, "Management is spreading fake news that each worker is receiving compensation of 94 million KRW, framing the union as militant by calling wage increases reckless management." They further claimed, "On the contrary, the Korea Development Bank has steadily increased wages by a total of 11% over five years, and performance bonuses have increased by 80% compared to 201 years ago."

Regarding the recent route change of the 'HMM Nuriho' at Busan Port, they added, "Due to management's orders preventing the vessel from calling at Korean ports, strike actions were blocked under Article 25 of the Seafarers Act." In response, management stated, "If calculated based on this year's proposed 8% wage increase, 300% encouragement pay, and 200% incentive pay, the annual wage for seafarers will be about 115 million KRW per person."

Launch of Joint Land and Sea Union Struggle Committee... Strengthening Single Negotiation Channel

The Haewon Union plans to fully engage in joint land and sea struggles after observing the results of the Land Union's strike vote scheduled for the 31st.

They launched a Joint Struggle Committee (Joint Committee) the day before and reached a final agreement to conduct joint negotiations with management going forward. This is a strategy to minimize the possibility of separate actions by the two unions and present a unified voice.

If the Land Union's strike vote passes, the two unions will immediately hold a joint press conference to announce key policies related to future strike actions and labor disputes. Based on this, they plan to lead the wage renegotiations with President Bae and management on the 1st of next month more favorably to reach a final agreement.

Meanwhile, the Haewon Union previously indicated the possibility of the first strike since its founding in 1976, with 400 out of 434 voters (92.1%) voting in favor in the strike vote. The HMM Land Union, composed of office workers, is also scheduled to hold a strike vote on the 30th. While the two unions demand wage normalization with a 25% wage increase and 1200% performance bonuses this year, management has proposed an 8% wage increase, 300% encouragement pay, and an additional 200% incentive pay after the year-end settlement.

The Haewon Union stated, "We are not protected by the constitution, work more than 10 hours a day every day, cannot disembark from the ship, and have generated the highest operating profit per person domestically. To be compensated for this, we will firmly push our intentions in the one-day negotiation."

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