Lockout Lifted and Strike Halted Amid Ongoing Standoff
23rd Wage and Collective Bargaining Session Scheduled for 2 p.m. on the 13th
Entering a Calmer Phase, but Management's Proposal Remains Key
The labor and management of Hyundai Steel, who had been at odds over the scale of performance bonuses, are making concessions and resuming dialogue. This marks a move away from the 'strong vs. strong' standoff of strikes and lockouts, opening the door to negotiations. However, the labor union maintains that if the management does not bring a proposal worthy of agreement, they may resume strikes immediately after negotiations restart.
According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy, Hyundai Steel labor and management will hold the 23rd wage and collective bargaining agreement (wage and labor agreement) session at 2 p.m. on the 13th. On the morning of the 12th at 7 a.m., Hyundai Steel lifted the lockout on the pickling and rolling equipment (PL/TCM) lines at Cold Rolling Plants 1 and 2 of the Dangjin Steelworks. The refusal to accept labor for workers involved in post-processing of cold-rolled steel sheets was also withdrawn. This came two weeks after the company implemented a partial lockout for the first time in its history on the 24th of last month in response to guerrilla-style strikes by the union. The union also stopped irregular partial strikes that had been ongoing since January and will attend the 23rd wage and labor agreement session.
Since the initial meeting in September last year, labor and management have held 22 negotiation sessions until the 19th of last month but failed to narrow differences over the performance bonus issue. In the 22nd session, management proposed a performance bonus payment scale of ‘450% of base salary + 10 million KRW,’ which the union rejected. At the same time, the union pushed for a 48-hour general strike on the 26th and 27th of last month. In response, management took the drastic step of a lockout, leading to continued confrontation. Despite the lockout, the five branches of the Hyundai Steel union began raising a 'struggle fund' to endure the standoff.
As discussions again reached an impasse, management first lifted the lockout, leaving room for negotiation, and the union announced that from 7 a.m. on the 13th, the strike would be fully ended and all equipment workers would return to work.
However, if labor and management fail to reach an agreement in the 23rd wage and labor agreement session, the cycle of strikes and lockouts is likely to repeat. The union’s stance remains firm. A representative of the Hyundai Steel Dangjin Hysco Branch of the Metal Workers’ Union Chungnam Branch said, "Ending the strike was a difficult decision, so we told management to present a 'proper proposal,'" adding, "If not, we informed them that we could call another strike the next day (the 14th)."
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