Under the three-day strike plan, which runs through Wednesday with two-hour partial strikes each day, production staff on the morning shift will stop work two hours early at 1:30 p.m., while workers on the afternoon shift will also end their shifts two hours ahead of their normal finishing time.
Industry officials estimate the disruption could cost more than 18.7 billion won (about US$13.5 million) in lost output per hour as assembly lines sit idle.
Hyundai Motor and the union have held 15 rounds of wage negotiations this year but remain divided over key issues including the scale of pay increases. Management's latest proposal includes an 89,000-won increase in monthly base pay, a performance bonus equivalent to 350 percent of monthly salary plus an additional 10 million won, and 15 shares of company stock. But the union rejected the offer as insufficient.
In addition to wages and compensation, the union is also seeking to have the retirement age extended and workers fired over past labor disputes reinstated.
Despite the strike, both sides are continuing behind-the-scenes negotiations in an effort to reach a settlement and avoid a prolonged labor dispute.
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