Direct employees and subcontract workers at Korean GM rallied together over mass layoffs involving subcontract workers at the company’s Sejong logistics center. On Jan. 28, about 300 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean GM branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union held a joint rally outside the west gate of Korean GM’s Bupyeong plant, demanding that the company immediately reverse what they called unfair dismissals of Sejong logistics subcontract workers.
Despite temperatures of minus 3 degrees Celsius, protesters chanted, "Bring out the real boss now." About 50 laid-off workers from Woojin Logistics, a Sejong logistics center contractor, wore closure notices on their backs to protest the dismissals. The union said Korean GM "preemptively fired subcontract workers with bargaining power" ahead of the March implementation of revisions to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act, known as the Yellow Envelope Act.
Woojin Logistics workers formed a union in June last year, citing low pay and forced overtime, the union said. Korean GM later terminated its contract with Woojin Logistics, and 120 workers were laid off effective Jan. 1 this year.
Park Ok Ju, head of the KCTU’s North Chungcheong regional headquarters, said Korean GM promised to resolve the issue through talks while saying it would ensure employment succession, but then carried out layoffs. She also criticized what she described as shifting blame to striking workers after consumer complaints emerged over parts supply disruptions.
The Sejong logistics union expressed regret that months of protests have disrupted parts supplies. About 1.5 million Chevrolet vehicles are registered in South Korea, raising concerns that a prolonged dispute could increase inconvenience for drivers.
Sun Ji Hyun, co-chair of a joint committee supporting the GM parts logistics union, said workers understood the impact on consumers and felt sorry, but argued that ignoring what she called injustice because of inconvenience would make it impossible to correct wrongdoing by GM’s capital.
Direct employees said they would also support efforts to resolve the dispute. The union claimed the Sejong layoffs, along with Korean GM’s plan to close nine company-run service centers in South Korea, signals restructuring. It said it has filed for an injunction with the Incheon District Court to block the closures.
Ahn Gyu Baek, head of the Korean GM union branch, said a special labor-management meeting was held the previous day to seek withdrawal of the service-center closure plan. He warned that if both the service-center issue and the Sejong parts logistics dispute are not resolved, labor-management relations this year will head toward a breakdown.
Kim Gi Yeon, secretary-general of the KCTU’s North Chungcheong regional headquarters, said Korean GM is taking steps in advance to undermine the intent of the Yellow Envelope Act revisions. He said the moves appear to reflect the possibility of downsizing or withdrawal from South Korea ahead of the completion of a 2028 agreement between global GM and the Korea Development Bank.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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