GM Korea Labor Union Staging Partial Strikes Over Wage Negotiations

GM Korea’s labor union holds a 3-hour strike on both the day and evening shifts at all three of the auto maker’s major plants in Korea Tuesday to pressure management into accepting worker demands for higher wages and a large one-time bonus.

The factories include Bupyeong, Gunsan and Changwon, and a spokesman tells Ward’s the union will stop work for three hours on the daytime shift Wednesday.

Bupyeong plant to begin building redesigned-for-’12 Chevrolet Malibu sedan this fall.

“They are seeking a 150,611 won ($141) monthly wage increase, which is the standard demand being made at all of the unionized automotive manufacturing companies (under) the umbrella Korea Metal Workers Union,” he says.

Uniquely, GM Korea workers also are asking for 30% of the company’s 2010 net profit, to be divided on a pro rata basis between union members.

GM Korea is countering offering a 68,828 won ($65) monthly increase and a one-time bonus of 2.2 million won ($2,063) per worker.

“Both sides have held 12 meetings, and the company and union representatives will meet again this week, hopefully, so that things will go smoothly, as before,” the spokesman says, noting the auto maker settled its labor negotiations in 2009 and 2010 without major work stoppages.

GM Korea employees about 10,000 unionized workers at its three principal production complexes in Korea.

The auto maker is scheduled to begin plant shutdowns for the summer vacation period, which begins the first week of August.