“Meal prices rose, but why did the food get worse?” GM Korea union files police complaint

The GM Korea labor union has taken its long-running cafeteria complaint to police, arguing that workers paid more for meals while receiving food that had become worse.

The union filed a complaint on the 7th with the Bupyeong Police Station in Incheon against Hector Villarreal, GM Korea’s chief executive, and company officials involved in cafeteria purchasing, contracts and settlement. It cited suspected work-related embezzlement and breach of trust.

Union officials said cafeteria unit prices had steadily increased, but the quality and quantity of ingredients, menu composition and number of kitchen workers had not improved accordingly. The controversy grew after a foreign object was found in food served at the company restaurant.

At about 11:20 a.m. on the 5th, an object believed to be part of a cooking utensil was discovered in potato stew served at the first cafeteria at GM Korea’s Bupyeong plant. The union has repeatedly demanded a special audit into the calculation of meal prices, outsourced operations and the process for supplying ingredients.

GM Korea conducted its own audit and told the union that it had found no problems, according to the report.