MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2020) Kia Motors Corp. workers in South Korea will continue their partial strike demanding higher salaries and bonuses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a trade union said on Monday, as reported by South Korean media.
Last week, Kia workers went on strike for three days at the local plants, demanding that the company increase the monthly salary by 120,000 won ($104) per person, to offer 30 percent of the company's operating profit in performance-based pay, and to push the retirement age up to 65. However, the company failed to comply with worker's requirements, offering instead 11/2 months of merit-based remuneration, 1.2 million won ($1,084) in special COVID-19 allowance and 200,000 ($180) won in gift certificates, among other measures. The union has rejected the offer.
The workers will hold a four-hour strike on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, at Kia's three domestic plants in Gwangmyeong, the city in Gyeonggi province, and Hwaseong, in Gyeonggi province, both neighboring Seoul, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing Union Spokesman Hwang Hyo-dong.
The spokesman said that the company has not contacted the union to narrow differences over wages and bonuses after the past 14 rounds of negotiations, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Kia Motors Corp. is one of the biggest South Korean carmakers, with eight plants located in South Korea � in Gwangmyeong, Hwaseong and Gwangju; and several plants overseas � in China, the United States, Slovakia, Mexico and India. The overall capacity of the plants is 3.84 million units.
