Seoul, June 24: The labour union of South Korea's largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Co., was set to vote today for an all-out strike as labour unrest was spreading throughout the country. Subway workers at the country's three major provincial cities of Busan, Incheon and Daegu went on strike today following the breakdown of negotiations over wages and working conditions.
However, subway systems were operating almost normally in the cities, as most of the locomotive drivers in Busan refused to take part in the strike and non-union or outside workers replaced striking unionists in the two other cities.
The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), an association of South Korea's largest conglomerates, has issued a statement complaining about the perceived weak reaction by the government to illegal strikes. Prime Minister Koh Kun said labor policy under President Roh Moo-Hyun puts more emphasis on dialogue and compromise than past governments had done.
Hyundai Motor Union said its 39,000 members in Ulsan, Chonju and Asan were asked to vote by mid-afternoon today on whether to launch a strike.
"Of course they will vote for it but it's hard to predict the percentage of yes votes," said a union spokesman at Hyundai Motor in the southern industrial city of Ulsan. The union and management have been engaged in two months of fruitless talks over wages and working conditions. The union called for an aver age 11 percent wage hike and a four-hour cut in working hours to 40 hours per week. Bureau Report