Hyundai Motor Company’s GENESIS Line in Ulsan Halted Amid Labor-Management Dispute Over ‘Man-Hour’ Talks

[Financial News] The GENESIS production line at Hyundai Motor Company’s Ulsan plant ground to a halt on the 2nd amid a labor-management dispute over bringing in a test vehicle for a new model. The standoff continues after the company announced it would apply a no-work, no-pay policy to all employees in the assembly shop.
According to the auto industry, labor and management clashed that day as a G80 hybrid test vehicle was being brought into the GENESIS assembly shop at Ulsan Plant 5. When the company moved the test vehicle onto the line at 9 a.m., union delegates blocked it, and line operations were subsequently halted. Hyundai Motor Company managers urged union members to work, but the stoppage reportedly continued.
The company announced at 10:05 a.m. that “due to the unauthorized stoppage of the line, a no-work, no-pay policy will apply to all employees in the GENESIS assembly shop.” The assembly shop reportedly has around 800 union members.
The dispute arose during man-hour (MH) talks ahead of mass production of new GENESIS models. Man-hours refer to the workforce and amount of labor required to produce vehicles. When a new model is introduced, the production process and workload may differ from those for existing models, making them subject to consultation.
Hyundai Motor Company says it sought labor-management agreement to mass-produce the G80 hybrid and facelifted Genesis G90, but union shop-floor delegates rejected the proposal, preventing normal consultations. The delegates were reportedly concerned that the number of workers assigned to the production line could decrease after the new models were introduced.

[email protected] Kim Dong-chan Reporter