Following Hyundai, Kia Joins: Union Declares "Real Strike Hasn't Even Started... No More Concessions"

Kia Senior Union Officials Stage Strike on 21st; Partial Strikes Planned Next Week
3,000 Members of the Metalworkers' Union Automobile Branch Gather at Yangjae Headquarters
"Reinstatement of Dismissed Workers, Retirement Age Extension, 50% Increase in Performance Bonuses"

Members of the automobile sector of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, including those from Hyundai Motor and Kia, gathered in front of Hyundai Motor Company's headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul to hold a joint strike rally. The union pressured management by declaring that a full-scale strike had not even begun yet, but that they would continue to fight until their core demands are achieved.

Jongcheol Lee, head of the Metalworkers Union Hyundai Motor Branch, is speaking at the joint strike rally held on the 21st in front of Hyundai Motor headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Youngchan Choi

Jongchul Lee, head of the Metalworkers' Union Hyundai Motor Branch, stated at the joint strike rally held in front of the Yangjae-dong headquarters on the 21st, "It is not because we do not know how to strike that we have not done so. We have refrained from striking in order to foster future-oriented labor-management relations and to overcome 39 years of conflict and confrontation. However, management has thoroughly ignored the urgent demands of our members."

He further emphasized that the three core demands—reinstatement of dismissed employees, an additional 50% increase in performance bonuses, and an extension of the retirement age—must be achieved without fail.

Sung-Ho Kang, head of the Kia branch of the Metalworkers' Union, said, "Management is hiding behind the guidelines set in Yangjae-dong, driving labor relations into crisis and dividing the union. The Kia branch will no longer stand by and will fight to the end for victory, prepared to escalate strike action if necessary in order to achieve the core demands."

Kang Sung-ho, head of the Kia Motors branch of the Metal Workers' Union, is speaking at a joint strike rally held on the 21st in front of Hyundai Motor Company's headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Choi Young-chan

He added, "Extending the retirement age is a social responsibility, and I strongly urge Hyundai Motor Group to make all necessary social decisions. Hyundai Motor Group's 100,000 workers will respond with a strong general strike. There will be no more compromise or concession."

According to the union, about 3,000 members attended the rally on this day. With Hyundai Motor entering a full-scale strike for the first time in ten years and Kia simultaneously starting its own strike, it is expected that production disruptions in Hyundai Motor Group will worsen further.

The Kia union branch plans to begin with a six-hour strike by senior union officials on this day, followed by four-hour strikes for each work shift on the 26th, two-hour strikes for each work shift on the 27th, and four-hour strikes for each work shift again on the 28th.

Union members of the Metal Workers' Union in the automobile industry are gathered in front of the Hyundai Motor headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, holding a joint strike rally. Photo by Youngchan Choi

The three main points of contention between management and the union are a 50% increase in bonuses, reinstatement of members dismissed for illegal activities during past union actions, and an extension of the retirement age. Management maintains that these demands are unrelated to wage negotiations and thus cannot be addressed as bargaining items. In particular, the company asserts that there is no justification to reinstate employees who were lawfully dismissed, and that it is also difficult to unilaterally decide on retirement age extensions that have not been legislated.

The Hyundai Motor union is planning to hold a central dispute countermeasure committee meeting on the 25th, where they will discuss the possibility of additional strike action if management does not present an improved proposal.

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