The union at Gwangju Global Motors has launched a hunger strike, demanding the normalization of labor relations after wage and collective bargaining negotiations collapsed. The union said the Gwangju-South Jeolla Integrated Special City, the company's largest shareholder, must step in to resolve the dispute — and warned that a full strike remains on the table if the situation is not addressed.
The GGM chapter of the Korean Metal Workers' Union held a press conference Monday in front of the Gwangju office of the Gwangju-South Jeolla Integrated Special City, calling on the city to thoroughly investigate what it described as repeated union suppression and unfair labor practices by management, and to take an active role in resolving the conflict.
"We have held intensive negotiations with management to find a solution, but no resolution has been reached," the union said. "The integrated city, as the largest shareholder, must fulfill its responsibilities."
The union also said labor authorities had already conducted a compulsory investigation into the alleged unfair labor practices, and demanded that anyone found to have broken the law be held strictly accountable. "The hunger strike beginning today is the first step," it said.
The union has been in conflict with management since wage and collective bargaining talks broke down in January 2025, staging a four-hour partial strike and a tent sit-in protest before escalating to the hunger strike Monday.
GGM said in response that it "first expresses regret, as a hunger strike cannot be a fundamental solution to labor-management issues," adding that management had put forward a constructive proposal within the company's means, but the union had not accepted it.
The company added that it was cooperating fully with labor authorities' investigation and legal proceedings into the unfair labor practice allegations raised by the union, and pledged to address any wrongdoing that is identified.
sij@heraldcorp.com
