GM Korea became the first in the automaking industry to conclude this year's collective bargaining. It is the first time in eight years since 2018 that GM Korea has wrapped up wage and collective bargaining before the summer break.
On the 28th, the election commission of the GM Korea branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union said it held a vote among all 6,513 members on the tentative agreement for this year's collective bargaining, with 56.5% (3,500) in favor out of 6,193 ballots cast. The approval rate out of all members was 53.7%.
It is the first time in eight years since 2018 that GM Korea concluded collective bargaining before the August summer break. Labor and management at GM Korea held 17 rounds of talks from their first meeting in May through the 22nd of this month. As a result, they reached a tentative agreement that includes: ▲ a 92,000 won increase in the monthly base wage ▲ a 15 million won performance bonus ▲ maintaining the current vehicle program in production after 2028 ▲ confirming the successor model by the third quarter of 2027.
In the process, the GM Korea union also staged partial strikes, with the late shift on the 21st and the early shift and day shift on the 22nd each stopping work for four hours, following actions on the 15th–16th of this month.
With this, GM Korea became the first in the domestic automaking industry to seal this year's collective bargaining agreement. The Hyundai Motor union launched partial strikes on the 13th–15th and 20th–22nd and will do so again on the 29th–31st. The Kia and Renault Korea unions have secured legal strike rights and are weighing whether to strike, and labor and management at KG Mobility are holding talks.