Kia workers prepare to strike amid weak sales

Published : Jul 17, 2017 - 18:11 Updated : Jul 17, 2017 - 18:11

Unionized workers at Kia Motors Corp. will vote on whether to stage a walkout as they press for more wages and benefits, the company's union said Monday.

The vote scheduled from Monday through Tuesday comes as Kia's wage talks with the management recently broke up and it struggles with slowing sales in major markets such as China and the United States.

(Yonhap)

Members of Kia's 30,000-strong union will cast their votes by 1 p.m. Tuesday, with the results to be made available at around 6 p.m.

The labor union is demanding the company raise workers' monthly basic wages by 154,883 won ($136) and offer a bonus of 30 percent of the company's full-year operating profit earned in 2016, the company said.

In the January-June period, Kia sold a combined 1.32 million autos, down 9.4 percent from 1.46 million during the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor's 50,274-strong union voted on Friday to go on strike in case of the breakup of ongoing wage talks. Its workers want the company to raise their basic monthly wages by 154,883 won and offer a bonus of 30 percent of the company's net profit in 2016. (Yonhap)