Militant Labor Losing Public Support

There are strong condemnations on unionized workers at Hyundai Motor who sprayed fire retardant at the New Year ceremony of the company in a protest for the company’s decision over the year-end incentives. Police summoned all 22 unionized workers accused by the company, including Park Yu-gi, president of the union, and began an investigation.

Spreading Condemnations on the Internet-

An entry posted by an Internet user who identified herself as the wife of a Hyundai Motor employee was seen by more than 10,000 users online yesterday. She said in her posting, “Most of Hyundai Motor employees reluctantly participate in a strike because of pressure from union leaders. I hope that the Hyundai Motor union could be welcomed by the public just like Hyundai Heavy Industries.”

The posting was originally a reply to another entry posted on the portal site Daum by an Internet user who identified himself as a 23-year-old university student who said, “I read a unionized worker’s posting on the website of Hyundai Motor which said, ‘If there are no more incentives from the company, 50,000 finished cars will be destroyed.’ Does it make any sense to victimize consumers because the company doesn’t pay the full amount of incentives? Hyundai Motor should fire all its unionized workers and hire those who are eager to work.”

The posting was read by more than 74,000 users as of 18:40 yesterday, drawing over 520 replies that include “I won’t buy a Hyundai car because I hate its militant labor union,” and “Let’s launch a signature campaign to censure the Hyundai Motor labor union.”

On the bulletin board at the website of the Hyundai Motor union which only allows union members to write, there are some voices of soul-searching amid the prevailing criticisms of the company’s decision to cut down on incentives. A netizen who identified himself as a “rank-and-file unionized worker” said, “The current method of labor struggle will ultimately lead to job insecurity and dwindling incomes of workers.” An association of Hyundai Motor workers which advocates “moderate and reasonable labor movement” released a statement yesterday which argued, “A political strike is the culprit of a crisis which undermines people’s livelihoods.”

Police Summon Unionized Workers-

Police authorities in Ulsan where Hyundai Motor’s main plant is based sent summons to 22 workers accused for violence by the company to be present at the police office by January 10. If they fail to be present, the police are planning to send summons twice more and seek an arrest warrant. The prosecution in Ulsan said, “Upon confirming illegal acts, we will bring all of them to justice.”

Hyundai Motor Firmly Responds-

Hyundai Motor said that it suffered 92.2 billion won in lost production caused by a failure to produce 5,911 units as the labor union refused to work overtime from December 28 to yesterday, demanding that the company pay the full amount of incentives. The automaker intends to seek damages for the lost production caused by the refusal of working overtime.

Vice Chairman and CEO of Hyundai Motor Kim Dong-jin said yesterday in an interview with Dong-A Ilbo at its headquarters in Seoul, “We will respond to senseless violence according to law, and paying the full amount of incentives deserves no mentioning.” Meanwhile, the labor union continued its struggle for its year-end incentives, organizing a rally in the automaker’s plant in Ulsan yesterday afternoon.

raks@donga.com bell@donga.com