"Please Just Work!" Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Partner Company Representatives Show 'Desperate Faces'

50 Days of Strike, Will the Honor of the World's No.1 Shipbuilding Power Be Broken Like This?

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering subcontractor representatives held a press conference urging the subcontractor union to stop the strike. Photo by Ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the morning of the 21st, President Yoon Seok-yeol commented on the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Metal Union subcontractor branch strike, saying, “Resolving the illegal activities quickly and normalizing the situation is what all citizens desire and is beneficial to everyone.”

President Yoon had previously stated, “The rule of law must be established, and illegal activities in industrial sites must end,” suggesting the deployment of public authority to the Daewoo Shipbuilding subcontractor branch strike, but the strike has continued for 50 days.

On the same day, representatives of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine’s partner companies held a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government press room urging the strike to end.

Representatives from the Global Top Cooperation Association and the Busan·Gyeongnam Shipbuilding Equipment Association declared, “The subcontractor branch must immediately stop the sit-in and sincerely engage in negotiations to resolve the situation,” and “We urge the government to actively mediate this matter and help normalize the shipbuilding industry.”

They lamented, “We have endured the triple hardships of a prolonged slump in the shipbuilding and marine industry, a shortage of orders due to the COVID-19 aftermath, liquidity shortages, and workforce restructuring,” adding, “With the recent favorable trend of orders for eco-friendly and smart ships since the end of last year, there was barely a glimpse of hope for revival, but the subcontractor branch strike has put us back on the brink of survival.”

They further reported that the subcontractor branch workers’ occupation of Dock 1 at the shipyard has halted the input of ship blocks and caused a shortage of storage space within the yard.

They added that the shipyard’s purchasing line is also considering suspending equipment deliveries or production.

They explained, “If deliveries and production stop, 60,000 workers and their families from 659 equipment manufacturing companies in Busan and Gyeongnam will be directly impacted in their livelihoods.”

The partner companies revealed that the cumulative damage incurred by the primary contractor Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine due to this strike has reached 750 billion KRW.

They stated that an additional loss of 30 billion KRW occurs daily, and if the strike and sit-in continue, there is concern that Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine will collapse and partner companies, including equipment manufacturers, will face a wave of bankruptcies.

On this day, the representatives labeled the subcontractor branch strike as a “clear illegal act.”

“Occupying ships under construction or committing acts of assault or threats violate Article 38 of the Labor Union Act,” they emphasized, “It is a heinous crime that endangers workers’ lives and destroys safety.”

They subsequently disclosed illegal acts by the subcontractor branch, including ▲occupying cranes and violent acts to obstruct the launching of Dock 1 ▲occupying internal roads ▲occupying the Goliath crane rail ▲cutting pipeline hoses causing ship structure flooding ▲assaulting partner company employees ▲detaining Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine employees ▲cutting work air hoses ▲throwing thinner cans into firework work areas.

They stressed, “If the subcontractor branch abandons its ambition to strengthen its position and organize through advancing to the Metal Union central stage and sincerely engages in individual negotiations with 22 partner companies, the issue can be resolved amicably.”

They continued, “Korea Shipbuilding & Marine achieved 100% of this year’s order target this month, and the remaining shipyards will also meet their targets this year,” appealing, “Now is the perfect opportunity for our entire industry to unite and firmly establish our position as the world’s leading shipbuilding powerhouse, and we hope to share the prosperity of the shipbuilding industry through agreement.”

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