Hyundai Motor unionists return to assembly line

Union members at the nation’s largest carmaker said Wednesday that they will stop a walk-out and resume production, as many of their requests have been accepted by the management.

The union at Hyundai Motor’s largest plant in Ulsan on Tuesday afternoon halted engine production after one of its members set himself on fire, alleging he was bullied by his superior, who told him not to leave work to participate in union activities.

The walk-out on Tuesday afternoon broke three straight years of no strikes and raised labor tension. The Hyundai Motor union is known as a hard-line member of the hawkish umbrella union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

According to Hyundai, the management agreed to take disciplinary action against the related managers and try to prevent similar incidents, as well as issue an apology from the president, dissolve so-called anti-strike teams, pay the hospital expenses for the injured worker, and prohibit defamation against him.

“Most of the union’s requests were accepted because Chairman Chung Mong-koo, who has just returned from his trip to China, ordered a swift settlement,” a company official said.

However, the one-day walkout left the possibility open for a labor dispute at court as the management decided to take legal action against the union leadership for stopping plant production.

“Whether they intended to strike will be questioned,” he added.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)