Hyundai Motor’s labour union in Korea launched an eight-hour full-scale strike on Friday the 21st of August 2026, involving nearly 40,000 workers. The strike was triggered by the union’s failure to reach an agreement with company management over wage issues.
The Hyundai Motor Company branch of the Metal Workers’ Union announced that it would conduct a full-scale strike, halting all production lines for the entire day on the 21st. According to the union’s strike guidelines for the day, morning shift production workers, who normally start work at 6:45 a.m., did not report to work at all. Afternoon shift workers, who begin their shifts at 3:30 p.m., are also not expected to report for work.
This full-scale strike will halt all production lines nationwide, including those at the Ulsan, Jeonju, and Asan factories, for an entire day. With the morning and afternoon shifts each striking for eight hours, the factories will remain idle for a total of 16 hours on that day. Including office workers, the total number of participants in the strike is expected to reach approximately 39,000 people.
This marks the first such full-day strike by the union in a decade. With auto sales currently sluggish, market concerns are growing that the strike could further disrupt the company’s production.
This year, the Hyundai Motor Company union is demanding a 50% increase in bonuses, reinstatement of union members dismissed for illegal activities, and extension of the retirement age, in addition to a wage hike. The union stated the previous day, “The company’s internal reserves amounted to 101.3 trillion Korean won as of last year, making a 50% bonus increase a reasonable demand,” and claimed, “The company has sufficient capacity to accept the union’s demands.” However, the company maintains its stance that it is difficult to accept the union’s demands without legal grounds or reasonable criteria.
