Hyundai Heavy Industries Union Leader Begins Crane Sit-In in Ulsan

On Sunday, October 18, Kim Dong-ha, head of the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries chapter of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, began a sit-in atop a crane at the Ulsan shipyard to protest the stalled negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement. The action aims to pressure the company into closing a wage deal after months of failed talks.

Kim climbed onto a crane in the small-assembly storage area that supplies Assembly Plant No. 1, at a height of about 25 meters, where he remained alone under the watch of union representatives and company security staff. At the same time, the union called seven-hour partial walkouts for all its members from October 19 to 23, expanding an action that had originally been planned only for union leaders on October 19 and 20.

The escalation came after a preliminary wage agreement reached on September 30 was rejected in a vote on October 2, with 52.14% of the 7,541 voters opposing it. That proposal included a base wage increase of 120,000 won per month (about $90) and lump-sum payments of 11 million won plus 200%. The union is demanding a larger share of the company's profits, better conditions for subcontractors, an end to discrimination against migrant workers, and stronger safety measures following a series of fatal accidents, including three deaths in July alone.

On October 23, after the 26th round of negotiations at the Ulsan headquarters, the company and the union reached a second preliminary wage agreement, 21 days after the first was rejected. The new proposal keeps the base increase at 120,000 won but raises the lump-sum payment to 11.5 million won (about $8,682) plus 200%, adds 300,000 won in welfare points, and adjusts the severance pay calculation, among other points. With this agreement drafted, Kim Dong-ha's high-altitude sit-in was called off after five days, and union members will vote on the proposal on October 27.