Hyundai's Union Launches First Full-Day Strike in Decade

By Kwanwoo Jun

Hyundai Motor's unionized workers staged a full-day strike for the first time in a decade, bringing production to a complete halt as they pressed demands for better wages and job protections.

The daylong strike at the South Korean automaker, the first since 2016, followed months of failed wage negotiations and a series of partial walkouts, adding to the challenges facing the company as it grapples with sluggish global vehicle sales.

All Hyundai Motor and sibling Kia factories in South Korea went quiet from Friday morning, as tens of thousands of workers downed their tools after the union ratcheted up the walkout to eight hours per shift--there are two eight-hour shifts each weekday--from the previously planned four hours, according to the company and union leaders.

Some striking union members attended a rally in Seoul, while assembly lines at the plants remained idle ahead of the weekend, with partial four-hour walkouts set to resume next week.

The company declined to comment on the impact of the industrial action, while South Korea's Yonhap news agency estimated that production disruptions caused by this year's walkouts could cost the automaker at least about 2.3 trillion won, equivalent to $1.65 billion, in total.

"Strike action can impact our customers, partners and operations," the company said in a statement.

"We are at a critical time when both sides must work together to successfully navigate the global transition to future mobility. Hyundai Motor remains committed to finding solutions through dialogue and good-faith engagement," it said.

Company officials and union leaders didn't elaborate on the details of the wage negotiations. In earlier talks, both sides were at odds over the retirement age and bonuses, among other issues, according to Yonhap and local media reports.

Hyundai's union wants to raise the retirement age to 65 or older from the current 60, which would require revisions to the country's laws. The union is also wants to increase bonuses by 50%, the reports said.

Write to Kwanwoo Jun at kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 21, 2026 02:05 ET (06:05 GMT)