"Implement the Agreement"... LG Chem Union's High-Altitude Protest at Cheongju Plant

Company: "No work"... Overtime eliminated from May
Union: "Work is sufficient... 35% of annual salary disappeared"

Two executives of the LG Chem labor union have been staging a rooftop protest at the Cheongju plant for four days. They claim that the company cut overtime work despite having enough workload, resulting in a 35% reduction in their annual salary.

Woo Young-wook, head of the LG Chem·LG Energy Solution Cheongju branch, and another union executive have been conducting a rooftop protest at the LG Chem Cheongju plant in Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, since the 3rd. They also hung banners on the factory's exterior wall that read "Implement the agreed terms of the wage and collective bargaining agreement" and "Vice President Namcheol who is killing all union members OUT."

They argue that the company unilaterally violated the labor-management agreement made during the 2015 wage negotiations without a valid reason last May.

LG Chem eliminated overtime and special overtime shifts at the Cheongju plant starting May 15, citing a decrease in workload and difficult management conditions centered on the petrochemical business. The Cheongju plant produces advanced materials such as battery cathode materials, separators, and semiconductor materials.

Woo, the branch chief, said, "Variable pay accounts for about 35% of the annual salary, so eliminating overtime drastically reduces wages," adding, "Although the company is struggling, the Cheongju plant has sufficient workload and is operating normally."

Wooyoungwook, head of the LG Chem·LG Energy Solution Cheongju branch (left), and Nawonseok, senior deputy branch head, are staging a rooftop protest at the LG Chem Cheongju plant.

In 2015, labor and management agreed to change the work system from two shifts working 12 hours a day to three shifts working 8 hours a day, guaranteeing an average of 45 work units per month. One work unit means 8 hours of work. It is explained that the reduced working hours from switching to three shifts have been compensated with overtime pay (OT) through additional overtime and early arrivals.

Since LG Chem eliminated overtime, negotiations have been ongoing since May, but no consensus has been reached, and the talks broke down when the company representative left during the negotiation.

Woo said, "On the first day of the protest, the vice president called and said he wanted to talk, but the differences in position remained," adding, "We are conducting practical negotiations, but there has been no progress yet."

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