Hyundai Motor Union Wins Strike Approval with 86.6% Vote

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Union held a strike‑approval vote on June 24, with 86.65% of its 39,668 members voting in favour and a 94.15% turnout. The result clears the way for a legal strike if the Central Labor Commission confirms a suspension of dispute mediation on June 25.

The union’s demands include a basic‑pay rise to 149,600 won, an 800% increase in bonuses, a profit‑share bonus equal to 30% of last year’s net profit, extension of the retirement age to 65, hiring of new staff, and the introduction of a fully salaried pay system to protect wages against AI‑driven automation and the possible deployment of humanoid robots such as Boston Dynamics' Atlas on the production line.

Negotiations between the union and Hyundai Motor have stalled after eleven rounds, with the company citing a sharp decline in operating profit margins. The vote marks the second consecutive year that the union could launch industrial action, raising concerns about production disruptions at the Ulsan plant and broader impacts on the Korean auto sector.