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Hyundai Motor's labor and management held their kickoff meeting for 2026 wage negotiations on May 6 at the main building's meeting room at the Ulsan plant. Negotiators from both sides sit facing each other. / Yonhap

Hyundai Motor's labor and management resumed wage negotiations after a 41-day gap, but talks broke down once again. The union will launch additional strikes starting on the 19th and has decided to push forward with a full-scale strike for the first time in a decade. Kia's union, meanwhile, has also escalated tension by refusing overtime work despite management's second offer.

According to industry sources on the 18th, Hyundai Motor's labor and management held their 16th round of main negotiations at the Ulsan plant that day but failed to narrow their differences. Having last met on the 8th of last month, the two sides reconvened after a 41-day gap, only to reaffirm the same divide.

In response, the Hyundai union plans to hold additional strikes: partial four-hour strikes on the 19th and 20th, a full eight-hour strike on the 21st, and additional four-hour partial strikes on the 24th and 25th.

The planned full strike would mark the first since Hyundai's 2016 collective bargaining round, a decade ago. The union also plans to hold a protest rally at Hyundai's headquarters in Yangjae-dong that day.

The two sides remain divided over issues under the union's separate demands, including reinstating dismissed workers and extending the retirement age. The union's cumulative strike hours have now reached 44.

Lee Jong-cheol, head of the Hyundai Motor branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, said, "We will continue pursuing our separate demands," adding, "We will return to the negotiating table once there is a more advanced proposal through working-level discussions."

Hyundai Motor Vice President and CEO Choi Young-il said, "Kia is also moving quickly to wrap up its negotiations," adding, "During Hyundai's strike, union members are losing wages and parts suppliers are facing severe survival difficulties. Now is the time for labor and management to put their heads together and bring these negotiations to a close."

Meanwhile, Kia's labor and management also failed to find a breakthrough in their ninth round of main negotiations held that day. Management presented an improved second offer on the 13th, an upgrade from its first proposal, but the union rejected it.

Under the second offer, management proposed a 95,000 won increase in base pay, a performance bonus of 350% plus 11.5 million won, 45 shares of company stock, and 200,000 won in traditional market gift certificates.

Unlike the Hyundai union, which has committed to a full-scale strike, Kia's union appears to be moderating its approach. Starting that day, the Kia union decided to refuse overtime work until negotiations conclude.

While the gap remains wide after the Kia union rejected management's second offer, the possibility of a last-minute agreement remains, since additional negotiation sessions are already scheduled. The two sides will hold their 10th round of main negotiations at the Sohari plant on the afternoon of the 19th.

An industry official said, "If the labor-management conflict drags on, it could put growing pressure on new vehicle production and supply schedules," adding, "Labor and management need to reach an agreement quickly to minimize production disruptions."

                                                                                                         Kim Jeong-kyu