Hyundai Motor workers are deciding whether to close one of the company’s most disruptive labor disputes in years. The union began a vote on August 31 on a tentative wage agreement reached after 111 days of negotiations and a strike campaign that included 60 hours of union action. Because morning and afternoon shifts stopped separately, production lines were halted for roughly twice that amount of time.
The tentative settlement raises monthly base pay by 100,000 won and provides a performance bonus of 400% plus 12.7 million won. It also includes 15 Hyundai shares, 500,000 won in welfare points and a 200,000 won increase in summer-vacation pay. The parties also agreed to hire 500 production workers through 2028 and to withdraw company damage claims linked to union activity.
For Hyundai, the vote matters because approval would remove an immediate source of production uncertainty after a dispute associated with major lost output and sales. For workers, the decision is a judgment on whether the compensation and employment commitments are sufficient after weeks of industrial action.
The agreement is not final until the ballot is counted. A majority of all members must participate and a majority of votes cast must support the deal. Until that result is confirmed, the company’s 2026 wage negotiations remain open.