After GM Korea said it will shut down its company-run maintenance centers nationwide in February next year, the labor union formed an emergency response committee and moved to block the plan.
The GM Korea chapter of the Korean Metal Workers' Union held a press conference on the 19th at the Chevrolet company-run Seoul Service Center in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, and said, "We are launching an emergency committee to block the closure of company-run maintenance centers and are entering an all-out struggle to stop General Motors' (GM) restructuring attempt."
The union said, "The company suggested we restart discussions on the company-run maintenance (closure) from square one, and an agreement was also reached through bargaining with the union," and added, "But the company ignored that agreement and unilaterally notified us of the (company-run maintenance center) closure."
It added, "This is not a problem only for GM Korea," and argued, "If the sale of company-run maintenance becomes a precedent, other finished-vehicle corporations will also weigh profitability in the same way and abandon company-run maintenance."
From the closure of the Gunsan plant to the closure of the Bupyeong Plant 2, the union says GM's moves are heading toward the dismantling and withdrawal of GM Korea's manufacturing and service base. The union said, "The contract with Korea Development Bank is set to end in May 2028. This (company-run maintenance) closure notice is GM's calculation ahead of those talks and groundwork in advance."
Earlier, GM Korea, following its plan to sell its company-run service centers, said it will stop accepting aftersales and maintenance service at nine company-run centers nationwide starting Jan. 1 next year and end operations starting Feb. 15.
GM Korea will continue to provide customer service mainly through about 380 partner service centers nationwide, while reassigning employees currently working at company-run service centers to other roles within GM Korea.