SEOUL (Reuters) -The union of South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor will stage partial strikes over three days this week at plants across South Korea, in a push for shorter working hours and higher wages, according to a notice sent to members of the union.
The company’s Korean union, which has about 40,000 members, will launch the partial strikes at various plants including factories in Ulsan, Jeonju and Asan, the notice said. Workers will leave work for two hours on Wednesday and Thursday and four hours on Friday, it said.
The decision to launch industrial action came after a majority of the union voted on August 25 to support the plan.
The union asked management to pay a 30% bonus from the company’s net income in 2024, when Hyundai generated record-high revenue from growth in the U.S.
The union also wants to raise the retirement age to 64 from the legally guaranteed 60, as well as switch to a 4-1/2-day work week, a union spokesperson said.
In 2003, Hyundai’s union was among the first Korean groups to reach an agreement with management over a five-day work week, in a country where most people had worked a half day on Saturday.
The Hyundai union, one of the largest and most influential labour groups in Korea, has not gone on a full-time strike for seven years over wage negotiations.
In December 2024, in a protest against former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched declaration of martial law, Hyundai’s unionised workers staged a partial strike for two days.
A Hyundai Motor spokesperson was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Heejin KimEditing by Ed Davies)
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