The Office Workers' Union of Hyosung Heavy Industries has declared a strike starting November 4, lasting three days. This marks the union's first strike since its establishment in June.
According to the union, negotiations over wage increases and performance bonus criteria began on August 21 but have failed to reach an agreement.
The union is demanding a 10% annual increase in base salary, the establishment of criteria for performance bonuses, and the reduction of welfare disparities among job categories. Despite Hyosung Heavy Industries reporting a 106% increase in consolidated operating profit to 747 billion won last year, the union claims that employees have not received adequate compensation for the improved performance.
The union stated, "Despite achieving record profits, management has ignored fair compensation and unilaterally revoked the work hour exemptions for union officials during negotiations, which serves as a warning to the management."
On November 2, the union received a decision from the Gyeongnam Regional Labor Relations Commission to cease mediation, securing its legal right to strike. The union plans to escalate its strike actions if the company does not present a constructive negotiation proposal following this warning strike.
In contrast, the company refuted the union's claims, stating that the union declared a breakdown in negotiations without sufficient discussion. Hyosung Heavy Industries issued a statement saying, "The company has conducted six rounds of negotiations and separate practical discussions, presenting a collective bargaining proposal, but the union proceeded with declaring a breakdown without even confirming the proposed wage plan."
The company added, "While the union claims the company is not negotiating in good faith, they have not even engaged in discussions regarding the wage proposal. We strongly question whether they approached negotiations with the intention of striking from the beginning."
Regarding potential production disruptions due to the strike, the company clarified that the strike is limited to the office workers' union and does not involve production workers. Hyosung Heavy Industries emphasized, "The full strike announced by the office workers' union is confined to that union and will not affect the overall operations of the Changwon plant. We plan to continue normal production activities and customer responses."
Meanwhile, the Office Workers' Union of Hyosung Heavy Industries was established in June and quickly gained approximately 900 members within three weeks, achieving the status of the primary union. The membership has since grown to over 1,400. In July, it was confirmed as the representative negotiating union, representing workers, including production staff, in negotiations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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