Hyundai Motor, Kia and General Motors (GM) Korea are approaching labor action as wage negotiations with management stall, raising concerns about possible production disruptions. Hyundai Motor’s union plans a two-hour partial strike each day starting Monday after negotiations fail to reach an agreement. The union’s main demand is for a performance bonus equal to 30% of the company’s net profit from last year. Hyundai management says the request is excessive, noting the company’s net profit falls by more than 20% in 2025, which it attributes to U.S.-imposed auto tariffs. Negotiations this year are also blocked by a separate dispute involving manufacturing automation. The union opposes plans to introduce advanced “physical AI” in production, including the gradual deployment of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots at major facilities in South Korea and overseas. Both sides remain at odds, and labor action is viewed as a risk that could affect output and lead to significant financial losses.
Hyundai, Kia and GM Korea unions near strike as wage talks stall
Hyundai Motor, Kia and General Motors (GM) Korea are approaching labor action as wage negotiations with management stall, raising concerns about possible production disruptions. Hyundai Motor’s union...
- Hyundai Motor, Kia and GM Korea are nearing labor action as wage talks remain stalled.
- Hyundai Motor’s union plans a daily two-hour partial strike starting Monday.
- The union seeks a performance bonus equal to 30% of the company’s prior-year net profit.
- Hyundai management rejects the bonus demand as excessive and cites a more than 20% net profit decline in 2025 after U.S. auto tariffs.
- The dispute also includes opposition to increased manufacturing automation, including planned use of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robots.
Hyundai Motor, Kia and General Motors (GM) Korea are edging closer to labor action amid their stalled wage negotiations, sparking concerns over production disruptions that could cost hundreds of billions of won. Hyundai Motor's union will stage a two-hour partial strike each day starting Monday, as it failed to find a breakthrough in its wage negotiation with the carmaker’s management. Unionized workers from the automaker are demanding management provide a performance bonus equivalent to 30 percent of the firm’s net profit last year — a figure seen by its management as highly excessive, as the carmaker suffered a net profit fall of more than 20 percent in 2025 in the aftermath of U.S.-imposed auto tariffs. This year’s negotiations have also stalled over a new contentious issue: manufacturing automation driven by advances in physical artificial intelligence (AI). Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor Group shared plans to gradually deploy Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robots across major production facilities in Korea and overseas, prompting strong opposition from the union. In respon
1 hour agoHyundai Motor, Kia and General Motors (GM) Korea are edging closer to labor action amid their stalled wage negotiations, sparking concerns over production disruptions that could cost hundreds of billions of won. Hyundai Motor's union will stage a two-hour partial strike each day starting Monday, as it failed to find a breakthrough in its wage negotiation with the carmaker’s management. Unionized workers from the automaker are demanding management provide a performance bonus equivalent to 30 percent of the firm’s net profit last year — a figure seen by its management as highly excessive, as the carmaker suffered a net profit fall of more than 20 percent in 2025 in the aftermath of U.S.-imposed auto tariffs. This year’s negotiations have also stalled over a new contentious issue: manufacturing automation driven by advances in physical artificial intelligence (AI). Earlier this year, Hyundai Motor Group shared plans to gradually deploy Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid robots across major production facilities in Korea and overseas, prompting strong opposition from the union. In respon
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