HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Reaches 2026 Wage and Collective Agreement, Raising Base Pay by 80,000 Won

[Financial News] HJ Shipbuilding & Construction's labor and management have reached a 2026 wage and collective agreement, the first such settlement in South Korea's shipbuilding industry. 
According to labor and management at HJ Shipbuilding & Construction on the 28th, negotiations continued after an initial meeting in May, and the two sides reached a tentative agreement on the 16th. The agreement was approved with 69.4% of union members voting in favor in a vote held on the 17th. The company and union thus concluded this year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations and held a signing ceremony that day. 
The two sides agreed to improve employee compensation, including a flat 80,000-won increase in base pay, a 6 million-won performance bonus for 2026, and a 2 million-won settlement bonus.
Following the settlement, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction plans to further strengthen trust and cooperation between labor and management. It will also focus on improving productivity and technological capabilities to enhance the competitiveness of its core businesses, including eco-friendly, high-value-added vessels, special-purpose vessels, and naval vessel maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).
CEO Yoo Sang-cheol said, "All members of the company came together with a shared purpose, enabling us to reach an early settlement in the wage and collective bargaining negotiations." He added, "Building on the spirit of trust and cooperation that formed the foundation of this agreement, we will do our utmost to strengthen our future competitiveness and contribute to the company's sustainable growth and the development of the nation's shipbuilding industry." 

[email protected] Kwon Byung-seok Reporter