Hyundai Motors union changed “job stability instead of wages” … Expectation to spread win-win labor management

The Hyundai Motors workers union has frozen the basic wage (salary) 11 years after the financial crisis of 2009. Analysis of the election that takes into account the gaze of public opinion when moving away from the hard-line struggle in the middle of the business deterioration. The election of the Hyundai Motors union, the auto industry’s “big brother”, is expected to have an impact on the wages and collective agreements of other automakers such as Kia Motors and Renault Samsung Motors.

The National Federation of Democratic Unions (CTU), a branch of the Hyundai Motors metals union, announced on the 26th that the agreement was finally approved with 52.8% of votes in favor of this year’s provisional collective and wage bargaining agreement.

This is the third time the Hyundai Motors union has agreed to freeze basic wages, following the financial crisis of 1998 and the global financial crisis of 2009. It also means that it is a non-conflict settlement for two years in a row after last year.

It is known that the pros and cons of the Hyundai Motors union continued to agree to a pay freeze after 11 years as a result of the agreement without conflict. Earlier, when the Hyundai Motors union began negotiations in July, the company requested a 12,304 won increase in base salary in accordance with the metals union’s policy. When management complained of management difficulties stemming from the Corona 19 incident coupled with the long stagnation of the auto industry, the union leadership agreed to freeze wages to the exclusion of high wage increases, but internal opposition voices were not low. . Consequently, the union leadership tried to persuade the members, saying: “If a general strike is carried out for the benefit of the members only, the social isolation of the union will be further fixed.” It is known that both workers and management could not guarantee approval until the results of the vote came out on the morning of the 26th. “The workforce and management of Hyundai Motor have led to a compromise under the banner of job security, “said Pilsoo Kim, a professor in the Department of Future Vehicles at Daelim University. It means there is. “Hyundai Motor’s wage freeze is not irrelevant to the recent trend for unions to avert their gaze from strong struggles. Heading into the ‘age of electricalization’, where the number of parts and Labor demands, such as electric vehicles and hydrogen electric vehicles, are low, unions are also beginning to focus on job security rather than wage struggles. Of course, the differences between the workforce and Hyundai’s leadership Motor have not been fully resolved. He opposes the production of electric car parts by Hyundai Mobis and says that “Hyundai Motors should produce it” to “secure a job.” During this negotiation process a related request arose, but it was decided discuss it later The Kia Motors union, which is negotiating with the union, also opposes the production of electric vehicle parts by Hyundai Mobis. Like the Hyundai Motors union, it is possible to postpone it to a subordinate agenda in the union and give a joint response later.

In addition to Hyundai and Kia Motors, the rest of the automakers are expected to face difficulties in signing a deal. GM Korea, which suffered a large-scale production disruption due to a strike last year, has entered a strike countdown this year as the union recently secured the right to dispute with workers and management in parallel. At Renault Samsung Motors, workers and management are showing a willingness to negotiate, but negotiations are expected to drag on due to the issue of the election of union leaders.

Seo Hyung-seok [email protected] Go to reporter’s page>Reporter Byun Jong-guk