The Hyundai AutoEver labor union, which was established on July 8, has secured a majority of its members within just two weeks. With more than half of the company's employees joining, the union is expected to have increased influence in upcoming negotiations regarding wages and collective agreements.
As of July 23, the union reported that its membership has exceeded 3,000. According to Hyundai AutoEver's semi-annual report submitted to the Financial Supervisory Service, the company had approximately 5,760 employees as of the end of March, meaning the union's membership represents more than half of the total workforce.
Being recognized as a majority union allows it to secure representation in collective bargaining with the employer, giving it an advantage in negotiations over wages and working conditions.
Analysts suggest that the rapid growth of the Hyundai AutoEver union is influenced by accumulated dissatisfaction within the company. At its inception, the union outlined key demands, including transparency in evaluation and compensation criteria, the establishment of objective evaluation standards, the necessity for labor-management agreements during system changes, and guarantees of job security based on trust in personnel management.
Internal sources indicate that dissatisfaction among employees has increased due to organizational changes implemented since Ryu Seok-moon took over as CEO. Concerns have been raised about insufficient communication with existing staff during changes in work systems, development methods, and organizational direction. Ryu, who previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Socar, was appointed as CEO of Hyundai AutoEver in January.
A Hyundai AutoEver insider stated, "It appears that a combination of factors, including average wage increase rates, changes in remote work policies, executive compensation controversies, and issues regarding the fairness of performance evaluations, have contributed to the situation."
Hyundai AutoEver, an IT service company affiliated with the Hyundai Motor Group, has been regarded as having a stable organizational culture. However, there has been a growing interest among employees in performance-based compensation and organizational management practices, leading to a rise in union formation movements.
Unionization efforts are also continuing in the system integration (SI) industry. Earlier, the Samsung SDS union gained majority membership shortly after its formation, drawing industry attention. A Hyundai AutoEver representative stated, "The company will comply with relevant laws and maintain communication in labor-management relations."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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