Hyundai Steel Cold Rolling Mill Shuts Down for 2 Weeks... Aftermath of Union Guerrilla Strike

Suspension of Operations at Dangjin Steelworks Plants 1 and 2

Hyundai Steel Dangjin Steelworks. Photo by Hyundai Steel

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Hyundai Steel will shut down its Dangjin Steelworks cold rolling mill for two weeks. This is due to disruptions in the supply of hot-rolled steel sheets necessary for cold-rolled steel sheet production caused by the union strike.

Hyundai Steel announced on the 13th that it will suspend operations of Cold Rolling Mills 1 and 2 at Dangjin Steelworks from the 12th to the 26th of this month.

The four Hyundai Steel branches (Dangjin, Incheon, Pohang, Dangjin Hysco) affiliated with the Korean Metal Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions have been conducting a 'guerrilla strike' since the end of last month. Due to unstable supply of materials, operations have been halted. Originally, the Hyundai Steel union strike focused on the thick plate, special steel, and wire rod processes, but since the 5th, it has expanded to the hot rolling process.

The Hyundai Steel union has been conducting a partial strike at Dangjin Steelworks since the 24th of last month, demanding wage negotiations and special merit payments. It is a guerrilla-style strike where strike instructions are delivered in real time to workers assigned to lines according to a rotating work system.

Hyundai Steel plans to use secured inventory to avoid delivery disruptions. However, the industry is increasingly concerned about the prolonged strike, as cold-rolled steel sheets are essential raw materials used in automobiles and home appliances.

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