Workers at Hyundai Motor Co. begin a three-day partial strike on Monday after wage talks fail between the company and its union. Multiple outlets report that the walkout runs for four hours a day, with workers on daytime and evening shifts each stopping work for two hours from Monday through Wednesday. The strike follows unsuccessful collective bargaining over pay and related benefits, and it is the union’s first walkout of the year and the second consecutive year of strike action. Korea Times and other reports say the union and Hyundai have held 15 rounds of wage negotiations this year without reaching an agreement.
Hyundai’s offer includes an 80,000-won monthly base pay increase, a performance bonus structured as a multiple of monthly salary plus an additional cash amount, and company stock. The union calls for larger wage increases and a higher performance-based payout, including demands tied to net profit. Bloomberg adds that workers also seek assurances that jobs will not be displaced by AI and robots. The strike raises concerns about potential disruptions to production at South Korea’s largest automaker.
