Former Ssangyong Motor employees go back to work

The voice from the other end of the line sounded vibrant. On Friday, a 52-year-old man taking unpaid time off from work at Ssangyong Motor said he was on Ulleung Island, working on a squid fishing boat after going through a variety of jobs, including courier and car mechanic.

He said he washes cars at a parking lot by day and joins fishermen at night to catch squid. His boat departs from the port of Sore in Incheon. "I`ve lost everything I`ve achieved since August 2009,” the man said.

○ A wait that never ends, three years and seven months

The man had worked for 22 years as a car mechanic at a Ssangyong service center in Seoul’s Guro neighborhood. Though not rich, his family lived a comfortable life.

In August 2009, however, he was laid off due to restructuring and his family lost its livelihood. All three members of his family were forced to work just to get by. His wife, who had no working experience for more than 20 years since she married, had to wash dishes at a restaurant in the morning and care for children at a nursery school in the afternoon. Their daughter had to work at a coffee shop to pay her college tuition.

“I tried to get a job at other car companies, but none of them wanted a former Ssangyong employee,” he said. Even to get hired as a parcel delivery man, he had to hide his Ssangyong employment. Despite tough times, however, he never lost hope that the carmaker would call him back to work. And his wait continued for three years and seven months.

Finally on Thursday, good news arrived. “I heard the news while preparing to set sail at the port of Sore. I think I received more than 50 congratulatory messages. I couldn’t fall asleep until 3 a.m. It was thrilling!”

He spoke of a heavy heart, however, because of former Ssangyong employees who were not called back by the company this time. “I can go back to work along with others thanks to the combined effort by all who were laid off. I’ll do my part to help those not called back this time to return to work as soon as possible," he said.

○ Problems to solve

Ssangyong is struggling to allocate work to all returning workers. The operating rate of the carmaker’s plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, is under 50 percent.

Kim Gyu-han, the union head of the company, said, “We expect that if a compact SUV with a 1.6-liter engine is released at the end of next year, it will add 100,000 units to our annual production. All unionized workers will cooperate to normalize the company so that those laid off and 1,900 voluntary retirees can come back to work by early 2015."

For the union, the interest of politicians in laid-off workers is something unpleasant. One unionized worker said, “Certain politicians want a parliamentary investigation into the case, but this doesn’t make sense. There’s a Supreme Court ruling on this case. There’s no need for further debate or investigation. Just help us to get back on our feet as soon as possible!”

Going back to work is not worry-free for returning staff. A 51-year-old former employee said, “I am happy about getting my job back, but I will say my pride was greatly hurt over the restructuring process.”

He said he worked as a day worker at construction sites over the past three years and earned enough to pay for his eldest daughter’s college tuition. “I’m glad that my children got to see my patience and its reward. But I’m worried if I can work well with other workers as if nothing happened when no affection toward the company is left in my heart.”

windup@donga.com