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Union members chant slogans during a rally by the Hyundai Motor Union calling for a general strike in front of the main building of Hyundai Motor Company’s Ulsan plant in Buk-gu, Ulsan, on September 3, 2025. (Photo=Yonhap News Agency) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] According to an exclusive report by The Korea Economic Daily, a labor union representing truck drivers transporting automotive parts to Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation plants has announced a full-scale strike, citing the company’s refusal to accept demands for higher transportation fees. If prolonged, the strike is expected to disrupt vehicle production, including at Kia’s Gwangju plant.
According to labor industry sources on May 14, the Gwangju branch of the Hyundai–Kia Automotive Parts Transport Workers’ Union, affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, will begin an indefinite strike at 10 a.m. on May 15. The strike will involve all directly affiliated transport vehicles under Mobient.
Mobient, a module manufacturing affiliate of Hyundai Motor and Kia, operates production facilities in Gwangju and Ansan. The striking union members consist of truck drivers employed by logistics firms, including Daejin Logis and Eugene Logistics, who are responsible for delivering parts produced at Mobient’s Gwangju plant to Hyundai and Kia’s vehicle assembly plants.
The union has formally notified Mobient that it will proceed with a full strike and collective action, stating that the company has failed to provide a substantive response to its demands. Key demands include an increase in parts transportation fees and requiring Mobient, as the principal contractor, to cover hourly standby wages for truck drivers. The union is also demanding that Mobient bear approximately KRW 70 million in union activity expenses.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
