Battery Association and Research Union Launch Strike... First in 27 Years

First Strike in 27 Years at the Korea Battery Industry Association
Union Launches Collective Action After Negotiation Breakdown

The Korea Metal Workers' Federation under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, specifically the Korea Battery Industry Association·Research Union Branch (the union), is launching its first-ever strike since the association's official establishment.

Korea Battery Industry Association·Research Union Branch CI. Korea Battery Industry Association website

On May 19, the union announced that, after four months of wage and collective bargaining negotiations with the association since February, talks had ultimately broken down. As a result, all employees would begin a strike by collectively taking annual leave starting that day.

In a press release, the union claimed, "During a total of eight rounds of wage and collective bargaining, the management only sent executives who had no real decision-making authority, and at the final mediation meeting, they simply repeated that they would 'look into it.'"

The union further stated, "Since the current management took office, there has not been a single promotion review in the past two and a half years, and annual salary negotiations have broken down every year."

This strike is the first to take place in the 27 years since the association's founding. The Korea Battery Industry Association was launched in 1997 as the 'Korea Battery Research Union' and became an officially established non-profit organization under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2011, serving as a leading industry association.

Through this strike, the union is demanding that the association regularize and formalize promotion reviews, provide retroactive compensation for delayed promotion reviews, and adhere to the agreed-upon basic salary standards.

A union representative stated, "Industrial action will only be conducted within the bounds of legality, and all activities are an unavoidable choice for the sound development of the association and the battery industry. We earnestly ask for the understanding and encouragement of member companies and all stakeholders."