Hyundai Motor Union Members Vote on Tentative Wage Deal

About 39,000 Hyundai Motor union members began voting on whether to approve a tentative wage agreement reached after a contentious round of negotiations.

The vote covers workers at the company’s Ulsan, Jeonju and Asan plants and at the Namyang research center. For the deal to conclude the negotiations, more than half of all members must vote, and more than half of those voters must support it. Ballots from the company’s sites will be gathered at the union office in Ulsan, with counting expected to continue late into the night.

The tentative agreement, reached during the 17th negotiating session on May 25, proposes a 100,000-won increase in base pay, including the regular seniority increase. It also includes a management performance payment of 400% plus 12.7 million won, 15 company shares, 500,000 won in welfare points and 500 new hires by 2028.

The negotiations saw intense disputes over the reinstatement of dismissed workers, extending the retirement age and a 50% increase in bonuses. The union staged 15 strikes totaling 60 hours, beginning with a partial strike on the 13th of the previous month and continuing through the 21st. On the 21st, it held an eight-hour full strike, its first since 2016. If members reject the tentative deal by a majority, the union and management will have to resume negotiations.