Hyundai Motor's headquarters in Yangjae, Seoul [Hyundai Motor]
Hyundai Motor's headquarters in Yangjae, Seoul [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor drew a line on the union's demand for a "full monthly wage system," saying the company plans to explore improvement options through a joint labor-management task force and that no decision on adoption has been made.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, Hyundai Motor said the wage structure for its technical and production workers had already shifted from an hourly to a monthly pay system in 2012 and has remained in place since. The company added that at wage negotiations on July 8, labor and management agreed to jointly research and discuss a "future-oriented, advanced wage system improvement plan" in response to the union's demand for a full monthly wage system.

The company said the discussions would continue through the joint labor-management TF established during the 2025 collective bargaining talks. It stressed that the agreement does not presuppose or confirm the introduction of a full monthly wage system, and that the TF would conduct consultations and joint research on wage system improvements between the two sides.

Meanwhile, production disruptions at Hyundai Motor became a reality as the union launched a partial strike Monday, set to run for three days.

Labor and management had resumed full negotiations 20 days after the union declared a breakdown in talks on June 12, holding the 13th round on July 6, the 14th on July 7 and the 15th on July 8 in a push for intensive bargaining — but failed to reach an agreement. At the 15th round, Hyundai Motor put forward its third proposal, which included a base wage increase of 89,000 won ($59), a performance bonus of 350 percent plus 10 million won, and 15 shares of stock. The union, however, declared an end to negotiations, saying further talks were pointless.

The union plans to continue the partial strike through Wednesday, with day and night shift workers each stopping work for two hours per shift. The action is expected to cause up to four hours of production line downtime per day.


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