[Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group]
SEOUL, Jan. 04 (Aju News) -- Unionized workers at South Korea's top carmaker, Hyundai Motor, resumed a partial strike Thursday to push for higher payment despite concern about the company's weakening competitiveness abroad.
Hyundai's 51,000-member union went ahead with a four-hour work stoppage in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan. Partial strikes would come for four more working days.
Union leaders and management agreed on a wage package on December 19 that included an increase in basic monthly payment by 58,000 won (53 US dollars), bonuses worth 300 percent of basic pay and three million won in extra compensation. However, Hyundai workers rejected the deal in a vote.
Frequent strikes, excessive demands and intervention in management have hurt Hyundai's competitiveness, contributing to low productivity and slow sales. Last year, the company lost about 1.46 trillion won due to partial strikes.
Workers at Hyundai and its affiliate, Kia Motors, are relatively well paid, along with good fringe benefits and welfare. However, they always remain ungratified, struggling to get bigger overtime, bonuses, and other one-time incentives.
Combined car sales of Hyundai Motor and Kia hit a four-year low of 7.25 million units last year, falling far short of their earlier goal due to poor performances abroad. This year, the world's fifth-largest auto group set a modest goal of selling 7.5 million vehicles.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
