Hyundai Non-regular Workers to Form Union

By Kim Jong-ho (tellme@chosun.com), Chosun Ilbo, 8 July 2003

Non-regular workers at Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan plant, said to be the largest plant in the country in terms of payroll, are expected to pass a resolution Tuesday to form a union. The plant’s non-regular workers, those under suppliers and subcontractors for the automotive giant, are estimated to number about 8,000.

If successful, the formation of the labor union for non-regular workers at the car giant is likely to deeply impact other large-scale plants that hire non-regular workers, including shipyards, heavy equipment manufacturers, and small and mid-sized firms.

The formation, however, is not likely to be easy, as Hyundai Motor’s union of regular workers made it clear that it opposes having two separate unions under one company.

The committee to spearhead the launch of the non-regular union plans to hold a rally to support the union formation, and to report the new union on Wednesday to the regional labor office in Ulsan.

A leader of the committee said the proposed union would soon become a regional union belonging to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), and that starting next year, the union would merge with the union of Hyundai Motor’s regular workers.

The non-regular workers demanded that their wages be raised to up to 80 percent of that of regular workers.