Posted September. 03, 2007 03:02,
The Hyundai Motor chapter of the Korean Metal Workers Union led by Lee Sang-wook has decided to defer a strike originally scheduled for September 4 and continue negotiations with Hyundai Motor management.
Under these circumstances, it is highly likely that the carmaker will complete this years contract negotiations without a strike.
The last time that the companys union did not strike over contract negotiations was 1997, a decade ago.
The unions move is interpreted as its response to the increasingly critical public opinion regarding its planned strike.
The union has agreed to resume an 11th negotiation round at the companys Ulsan plant today at 2:00 p.m.
It will be the first resumption of the negotiations in 10 days after the union declared a breakdown on August 24.
Prior to that, the union reached an agreement in a committee meeting on September 1, attended by some 30 senior members of the union, to defer the strike that was scheduled for September 4 and 5 and actively participate in the negotiations on September 3. It decided to stage a strike after a vote where 68.89 percent of the voters (62.9 percent of the entire unionized worker population at Hyundai Motors) voted for the strike.
Therefore, the union can legally launch a strike from September 4 when the adjustment period designated by the Labor Relations Commission expires.
Chang Kyu-ho, PR head at the Hyundai Motor labor union, said, It is an expression of a desire not to disappoint the public and unionized members who want us to reach an agreement with management without a strike.
The labor-management working-level negotiation teams began searching for the right midpoint starting September 2.
They reportedly narrowed their differences significantly on salary and incentive fronts.
However, they have yet to strike the right midpoint on some demands from the union, including diverting cars manufactured overseas to the domestic market when the domestic plant cannot meet the demand, and consulting with the labor when developing new cars.
Some at Hyundai Motors predict that management will pay a lump sum of additional incentives and partially accept the unions demand for increasing the retirement age to reach an agreement with the union on September 3 or 4.
Meanwhile, there are steady voices for no-strike agreement among unionized workers of Hyundai. A union member wrote to the bulletin board of the unionized plant workers organization: Let us complete this years contract negotiations without a strike through faithful and patient participation in the negotiations from both labor and management.