KATHMANDU: Hyundai Motor’s South Korean union has gone on a full-day strike for the first time in 10 years. The strike comes after the company and union failed to reach an agreement on wages and other demands, according to Reuters.
Around 40,000 union members were expected to take part in Friday’s strike. Workers from Kia and some auto suppliers are also supporting the protest.
The union is asking Hyundai to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60. It also wants the bonus to increase from 750% to 800% of the monthly base salary.
Another major demand is job protection as Hyundai brings more artificial intelligence and automation into its factories.
The latest strike follows several shorter walkouts that started in late July. Those strikes disrupted the production of around 55,200 vehicles, worth more than $1.67 billion, according to Yonhap estimates.
The strike comes at a difficult time for Hyundai. The automaker expects to miss its global sales target this year. It is also facing stronger competition from Chinese carmakers in Europe and weaker sales in its home market.
Hyundai is increasing its use of automation and robotics. The company plans to start using humanoid robots at its U.S. plant in Georgia from 2028.
Hyundai said it wants to resolve the dispute through talks. The union has also said it is ready to return to negotiations if the company comes up with new proposals.
