HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will return an average of about 7 million won per person in meal costs that had been deducted from foreign workers' pay, and, in an industry first, will provide company meals such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner to foreign workers entirely free of charge.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said on the 5th that it prepared improvement measures for equal treatment with no differentiation, reflecting on-site feedback through direct communication with foreign workers.
This measure was prepared to resolve backlash from some foreign workers against the new wage system applied since the end of May. It reflects supplements after reviewing opinions from foreign workers collected through language-specific briefings by country from June 30 to July 2.
First, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will retroactively refund in full the meal costs that foreign workers had borne. About 1,600 people are eligible, and the amount averages about 7 million won per person. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will apply the refund retroactively to January 2023.
It also prepared measures to improve the compensation system so employees can share in company performance, including paying performance bonuses without differentiation based on personnel evaluations.
The controversial new wage system at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries reduced base pay and fixed allowances by several hundred thousand won compared with the previous system, and introduced a "fixed overtime allowance" of about 400,000 won on the premise of 30 hours of overtime work per month. Some foreign workers had expressed concern about reduced base pay and de facto mandatory overtime.
A HD Hyundai Heavy Industries official said, "As the world's No. 1 shipyard, we will continue to improve treatment for foreign workers, not only in wages but also in meals, housing, and stay support."