Strike Twister to Sweep Car Industry

Korea's automobile industry is facing the threat of a whirlwind of strikes, as labor unions of three Hyundai Motors' companies and six Kia Motors' companies decided to start strikes simultaneously.
A joint committee of Hyundai and Kia labor unions is now preparing for a full-scale strike at nine work sites on February 26, if their demands of employment guarantees and the return of salaries to pre-economic-crisis levels. Added to this, the two leading trade union organizations, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), decided to withdraw from the Tripartite Committee (labor/government/business) and take a hard-line position against the government.
Kia Motors' Trade Unions, which went on a one-day warning strike on February 10, will start a three-day strike on February 25. They are asking for an increase of the quarterly bonuses that they agreed to take a reduction of because of the economic crisis last year, and a nine-percent increase over 1998 salaries.
However, management at Kia Motors has not accepted the salary or bonus increase, and only guranteed current employment levels until 2000.
When and if the labor unions of Kia Motors go on strike, 18.9 billion won will be lossed per day on the 2,500 cars that will not be made.
Kia's labor unions will hold a massive demonstration in Kwangju in March unless management accepts their demands.
Hyundai labor unions will hold a general meeting on February 26 to decide whether or not to go on strike.