Hyundai Motor union heads for strike

[Gnoikj]

Is this a cause for concern for Hyundai car buyers?

 

Taken from CNA news website.

 

Hyundai Motor union heads for strike

 

SEOUL : South Korea's largest automaker Hyundai Motor has moved a step closer to an all-out strike as its labour union gave the company until Thursday to pay a disputed bonus or face a walkout.

 

The clash between the strike-plagued automaker and its 44,000-strong union has intensified since the company cut year-end bonus payments by a third, citing a missed production target in 2006.

 

The union, however, says the target was set too high in the first place.

 

"Unless the company pays the back bonus of 50 percent (of a monthly salary) by Thursday, we will convene an emergency meeting of union representatives and vote for a strike," said its president Park Yoo-Ki.

 

"Following the vote, we plan to shift gear into a direct, long-term struggle through strikes," he said at a press conference.

 

The statement was the latest move in a struggle between management and the union, which called an overtime ban in protest at the bonus cut.

 

The company has reported 22 union leaders to prosecutors for obstructing business and using violence during a protest over the bonus cut last week.

 

Hyundai Motor president Yoon Yeo-Cheol received a slight facial injury and some guards were reportedly hurt as hundreds of workers rioted during the company's New Year celebration at its plants in Ulsan, 400 kilometers (250 miles) southeast of Seoul.

 

The company has also filed a lawsuit seeking a million dollars in damages from the union for lost production due to the overtime ban.

 

Nine previous lawsuits since 2000 were dropped following union pressure but Yoon vowed not to back down on this occasion. "We will fix the wrong, old practice this time," he has said previously.

 

Since the militant union was launched in 1987, strikes have cost the company some 10 billion dollars in losses, according to Yonhap news agency.

 

Hyundai Motor said it had lost production of 7,752 vehicles worth some 120 billion won (126 million dollars) since the latest overtime ban began on December 28.

 

- AFP /ls

[Try_conti]

if only they have put their energy into something more productive. they would probably have overtaken the japs car manufacturers instead of playing 2nd fiddle. real 1d10ts !

 

Keep this up & soon the chinese car makers will overtake them as well & they'll wonder what happened ?

 

Even their own companies are shifting production out of Korea to other countries & they still erm-chai-si, striking here & there every other month.

[Lplate]

wat's gonna be my bonus like then?

principal lvl kena such sxxt wat's a ground lvl staff like me gonna get?

[Gnoikj]

Guess we'll know soon come Thursday...

[Lplate]

actually it's a gd thing when they do have strikes there for me!! easier to do reports and presentation.

[Watwheels]

This is old news. The Koreans used to be famous for strikes.

[Friendstar]

Hi try_conti, i believe u advocate continental cars. if so, i would like to comment that in europe, strikes are more often.

[Try_conti]

Strikes are common in many places, no doubt. But in korea, its a lifestyle, its a season, its a past time & often violent. their brand if strike is militant because their union are headed & run by militants. i've seen with my own eyes crowds holding steel bars with one hand & molotov cocktails with the other in korea chanting & parading past me. Scare the sh1t out of you, i tell you.

 

Such actions cannot be good for the industry & country as a whole. Businesses WILL move elsewhere to avoid this annual 'season' because it costs them huge losses. in the end, its a lose-lose situation.

 

Btw, I don't advocate conti per-se. It just happened that i'm driving one now. My previous 2 rides are japs, so i get to compare & appreciate the differences in handling & daily driving dynamics.

[Kb27]

The Frenchies are famous for all kinds of strikes.

[Ccssgm]

Sure A Delay On Car........Deliver to Singapore and other Country....

[Gnoikj]

We need some Hyundai SEs to come in and assure us...

[Ccssgm]

Deliver Car On time..........

[Toyo]

its very common. happened again and again.

[Vit4wd]

Shd have car assembly plant in Singapore - confirmed NO strike.

 

Police waiting outside for you even before you can start strike.