Members of the Korean Metal Workers' Union hold a joint strike rally in front of Hyundai Motor's headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Friday, as Hyundai Motor's union launched a full-day strike over stalled wage negotiations. The participants called on Hyundai Motor Group to extend the mandatory retirement age, raise parts supplier prices and open direct negotiations with the parent company. [Yonhap]
Members of the Korean Metal Workers' Union hold a joint strike rally in front of Hyundai Motor's headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Friday, as Hyundai Motor's union launched a full-day strike over stalled wage negotiations. The participants called on Hyundai Motor Group to extend the mandatory retirement age, raise parts supplier prices and open direct negotiations with the parent company. [Yonhap]

Hyundai Motor and its union are set to return to the negotiating table after a prolonged standoff over this year's wage talks, with the union agreeing to suspend a partial strike planned for Monday in light of the resumed negotiations.

According to industry sources Sunday, the two sides will hold their 17th round of wage negotiations Monday at the company's Ulsan factory.

The union had planned four-hour partial strikes on both Monday and Tuesday but has put the Monday action on hold. Whether the Tuesday strike proceeds will depend on management's proposals and the outcome of Monday's talks.

The central question is whether the resumed negotiations can break the deadlock that escalated to a full strike — the first in a decade — last week.

The two sides have been unable to narrow their differences on a range of issues, including the level of wage increases, a 50 percent raise in bonuses, an extension of the mandatory retirement age, and the reinstatement of union members dismissed for illegal activities during past labor actions.

The gaps are particularly wide on non-wage demands such as the retirement age extension and the reinstatement of fired workers.

Management has maintained that the retirement age issue is tied to broader social and legal debates, and that there are insufficient grounds to accept the reinstatement demands. The union, however, argues both are necessary to secure job stability and restore trust between labor and management.

The two sides had already resumed talks Tuesday after a 41-day hiatus, holding their 16th bargaining session, but failed to make progress. The lack of headway despite the restart prompted the union to escalate its strike action rather than stand down.

Since the first bargaining session on May 6, the union has staged multiple partial strikes of two to six hours each as negotiations stalled. On Friday, it launched an eight-hour full strike — the first since 2016 — bringing production lines at the Ulsan, Asan and Jeonju factories to a halt.

The union's cumulative strike hours have now reached 60. Because Hyundai Motor's production workers operate in two shifts — morning and afternoon — the actual cumulative shutdown time on the production lines stands at 120 hours.

The automotive industry estimates the resulting production disruption at approximately 55,200 vehicles. With the union steadily intensifying its strikes, lost sales from production disruptions since last month have surpassed 2 trillion won ($1.44 billion).

With the union suspending one of its planned strike days, Monday's session is shaping up as a potential turning point in the prolonged wage dispute. However, given that the gaps between the two sides on core issues remain wide, strikes could escalate again if Monday's talks yield no meaningful progress.


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