HMM Land Union Holds Strike Vote... This Week's Crossroads for Strike Action

Ongoing until 8 AM on the 31st
Joint struggle to begin upon approval

HMM Auckland Ship

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The HMM Land Labor Union will hold a strike approval vote over two days starting from the 30th. If the vote passes, they plan to launch a joint struggle together with the Haewon Federation Union (Maritime Union).

According to the shipping industry, the Land Labor Union, composed of HMM office workers, will conduct a 24-hour strike approval vote among its members from 8 a.m. on the 30th to 8 a.m. on the 31st.

If the vote passes, the land and maritime unions will immediately hold a joint press conference to announce their plans regarding the strike and joint actions for the dispute.

Previously, the Haewon Union passed a strike approval vote last week with a 92.1% approval rate among voters, leading to expectations that the Land Labor Union will also have a majority in favor of the strike vote.

The industry expects that the two unions will use the possibility of joint action as a negotiation card in labor-management talks scheduled for the 1st of next month. On the 24th, HMM President Bae Jae-hoon, Land Labor Union Chairman Kim Jin-man, Haewon Union Chairman Jeon Jeong-geun, and other labor-management representatives held final negotiations at HMM headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, but ended the talks confirming only their differences.

The management proposed a final offer including an 8% wage increase and 500% encouragement and incentive bonuses, while the unions demand wage normalization with a 25% wage increase and 1200% performance bonuses.

While management insists on the initially proposed wage plan, the two unions argue for realistic improvements in poor working conditions, including an eight-year wage freeze, making renegotiations expected to be difficult.

However, there is also a possibility of last-minute labor-management agreement. As the conflict between both sides prolongs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and other government bodies may provide behind-the-scenes support for negotiations to avoid a logistics crisis.

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