Metal Workers' Union: "General Strike on July 15 if Hyundai Motor Group Refuses to Negotiate"

On April 15, the Korean Metal Workers' Union demanded primary bargaining with Hyundai Motor Group and announced a general strike planned for July.

Hyundai Motor Group Yangjae Headquarters Building

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That afternoon, the Metal Workers' Union held a rally in front of Hyundai Motor Group's headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and delivered their demand for primary bargaining to management. According to the organizers, about 1,200 union members participated in the rally.

Park Sangman, head of the Metal Workers' Union, stated, "Hyundai Motor Group is the main culprit behind creating a dual labor market structure and producing a large number of non-regular workers through illegal dispatch, by exploiting unfair laws against non-regular workers." He added, "Unless Chairman Chung Euisun comes to the bargaining table, we will hold three general strikes on July 15, August 26, and September 3."

Park also criticized, "We demanded primary bargaining at 19 workplaces, but only three responded. Hyundai Motor Group has not even replied."

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) also held a press conference in front of the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu that day, criticizing primary contractors for refusing to engage in negotiations despite the enforcement of the revised Trade Union Act (the Yellow Envelope Act), which allows subcontracted workers to negotiate with the primary employer.

According to the KCTU, as of April 13, 536 union branches under the KCTU had requested bargaining with 430 primary employers, but only 30 had publicly announced the receipt of such requests.

Yang Kyungsu, head of the KCTU, warned, "We will organize a general strike in July against those primary employers who refuse to come to the bargaining table."

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