GGM Union Launches Partial Strike by All Members... Concerns Over Production Disruption

"Prolonged Strike...
Growing Sense of Crisis in the Local Community"

The Gwangju Citizens' Association held a press conference in front of Gwangju City Hall on the 21st of last month and strongly urged the GGM union to stop the strike through a statement. Photo by GGM

The union of Gwangju Global Motors (GGM) began a partial strike involving all union members before the mediation and arbitration period of the labor-management-government council.

According to the GGM branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union on the 18th, 228 union members of the branch began a four-hour partial strike from 12:20 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. that day. Of the total 228 union members, 148 participated in the strike.

This strike involved all union members for the first time since the union declared a strike on the 10th of last month due to a breakdown in wage and collective bargaining agreement negotiations with management.

Until now, the union had conducted strikes in a rotating manner by department. Starting with a four-hour partial strike by about 20 executives on the 10th of last month, about 70 members on the 14th, about 110 on the 16th, and about 10 on the 23rd participated in three more four-hour partial strikes.

As a result, concerns are rising over disruptions in the production process.

GGM, which is producing the Hyundai Casper on consignment, plans to produce 56,800 units this year, a 7.2% (3,800 units) increase from last year, due to strong domestic sales and increased exports.

In particular, unlike last year, electric vehicles will account for 47,700 units (84.0%), a significant increase, and exports will also rise sharply to 42,900 units (75.5%). Accordingly, GGM, which operates only a single daytime shift instead of a two-shift system, is meeting its production targets through two hours of overtime on Tuesdays and Thursdays and eight hours of special work on Saturdays, in addition to normal working hours.

With the union's repeated strikes raising a sense of crisis in the local community, the Gwangju labor-management-government council has formed a special mediation and arbitration committee. The committee is preparing reasonable solutions for reconciliation and cooperation between the parties, in compliance with the labor-management cooperation agreement and within the scope of current labor laws.

However, as the GGM union continues to strike and refuses overtime and special work during the mediation and arbitration period, causing production disruptions, public criticism is growing.

Kim Sungkyu, head of the Gwangju Citizens' Association, said, "GGM, Korea's first win-win job model, was established with great difficulty based on the labor-management cooperation agreement of the Gwangju labor-management-government council, so the strike is not simply an issue between labor and management. If the strike is prolonged, the negative impact on the local community will be significant, so the council is gathering opinions and wisdom from the community to prepare a mediation and arbitration plan."

He added, "For the union to strike and refuse overtime and special work during the mediation and arbitration period is a grave mistake that ignores the wishes of the local community and pours cold water on export vehicle production. Once a mediation and arbitration plan is presented, I strongly urge the union to actively accept and follow it."

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