Дата публикации: 14-08-2026 17:55:52

The Hyundai Motor labor union is intensifying its strike and strongly pressuring management ahead of the National Liberation Day holiday. The partial strike, which began at two hours in July, has expanded to six hours in August, and tensions at the production site are escalating as the gap between l

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On Aug. 12, Workers from the morning shift leave early through the Myeongchon Main Gate at Hyundai Motor's Ulsan Plant in Buk-gu, Ulsan, following a four-hour partial strike. (Yonhap)

The Hyundai Motor labor union is intensifying its strike and strongly pressuring management ahead of the National Liberation Day holiday. The partial strike, which began at two hours in July, has expanded to six hours in August, and tensions at the production site are escalating as the gap between labor and management remains un-narrowed.

The Hyundai Motor branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union will stage a partial strike for six hours each by the first and second shifts on Aug. 14. As a result, the Hyundai Motor production lines will halt operations for up to 12 hours on this day alone. The union has continued its strike for three consecutive days since returning from summer vacation starting on Aug. 12, raising the intensity by expanding the strike time, which was four hours on Aug. 12 and on Aug. 13, to six hours on this day.

Labor and management are running parallel lines over the core issues of wages and performance bonuses. In this year’s negotiations, the union demanded a base pay increase of 149,600 won (about $105.4) and the payment of 30% of the previous year’s operating profit as a performance bonus. An increase in regular bonuses and an extension of the retirement age are also included in the major demands.

On the other hand, the company maintains the policy that it is difficult to fully accept the union’s demands due to the uncertainty of the business environment. Management proposed a base pay increase of 89,000 won, a performance bonus of 350% plus 10,000,000 won, and the provision of 15 company shares, but the union rejected this, stating that it falls short of union members’ expectations. The union is sticking to its position that negotiations can only progress if an additional proposal matching the company’s business performance is presented.

As the strike prolongs, concerns over vehicle production disruptions are also materializing. Because the automobile manufacturing process is a structure where production lines are organically connected, even short partial strikes, if repeated, result in the accumulation of undelivered vehicles. In fact, Hyundai Motor pointed to the union strike as one of the main reasons its global sales in July stopped at 318,454 units, a 5.1% decrease compared to the same period last year.

In detail, domestic sales in July decreased by 14.4% and overseas sales also fell by 3.2%, showing that the aftermath of the strike is affecting overall performance. As the union has forewarned an additional six-hour strike per shift on Aug. 18 after the National Liberation Day holiday ends, the scale of production disruption is analyzed to grow further for the time being.

Hyundai Motor labor and management have been continuing their standoff while gradually increasing the strike time starting on July 13. The strike, which was initially two hours, went through four hours and has now expanded to six hours. If both sides fail to find a breakthrough in the negotiations that will resume after the holiday, there is a high possibility that the strike will continue beyond next week, which is expected to be a significant burden for both labor and management.

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