Kia Union to Join Hyundai Workers in Friday Strike Actions

Hyundai continues to reel from relentless partial strikes in South Korea. Workers downed tools again for nine hours Wednesday, including a 1-hour overtime boycott, bringing official lost production to 24,268 units valued at 497.9 billion won ($448 million), a Hyundai spokesman tells WardsAuto.

A further 9-hour strike is scheduled by Hyundai’s union for Friday, which likely will take total lost output to 30,000 vehicles.

Sister auto maker Kia also is under pressure. After a short break following last week’s 1-day partial strike of two hours per shift, the Kia union suddenly broke off negotiations and (Thursday in Korea) struck for eight hours spread across two shifts, a Kia spokesman says.

Kia workers will be in lockstep Friday with their Hyundai counterparts in a strike that will total nine hours, four hours on the first shift and five hours on the second.

The Kia spokesman says the auto maker has no comments about the union’s sudden resumption of strike action and no further negotiations are planned.

There are rumors the climate has sweetened between the Hyundai union and the management negotiating team, but neither side is officially commenting about any progress in the talks. Analysts say the continued partial strikes speak to a lack of progress at both auto makers.