The strike vote was approved by Hyundai Motor's labor union. As a result, the union is expected to go on strike for the eighth consecutive year if the National Labor Relations Commission decides to suspend arbitration.
Hyundai Motor's labor union held a vote on its members for or against the strike between July 29 and 30. Out of 42,204 voters (83.92 percent of the total) who voted, 34,577 or 84.06 percent of all voters approved it.
The union will form a committee to deal with the dispute on Aug. 1, and will go on strike if the commission decides to suspend the arbitration. The union earlier declared a breakdown in the 16th round of negotiations on July 19 and filed a mediation with the commission on July 22. In addition, representatives unanimously decided on the occurrence of labor disputes at an extraordinary convention of representatives on July 24.
"We have completed the process of securing the right for legal and legitimate collective action under the Constitution and the Labor Relations Act," a union official said, adding, "The union can push through its members' demands through legal disputes against the management, but conservative media distort and gloss over it as if they are taking illegal and unjust steps to strike."
"The union strongly calls for the management's top executives to send a package proposal before Chuseok. If the management has a forward-looking review of the union's key demands and an active proposal, we will resume the negotiations," he said.
Meanwhile, in this year's collective wage negotiations, the union demanded a rise of 123,526 won in basic salary (excluding salary increase), 30 percent in net profit, and the application of ordinary wages for bonuses. Also included in the request were reinstatement of the fired employee's original position, and withdrawal of complaints filed, compensation for damages and provisional attachment.
In response, the management said it could not accept the proposals and called for a freeze in wages, citing management difficulties.
