Strikes at Korean yards are becoming more common as anger grows at senior management and the government This photo was taken in September 2015 when workers struck at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea.
Workers at eight of South Korea’s largest shipyards will go on strike on July 20 as a protest to the ongoing restructuring of the sector, which has seen thousands of staff made redundant this year.
“Until now we have demanded that [shipbuilders] should stop restructuring that passes the blame to the labourers,” a coalition of shipbuilding unions said yesterday. “We have patiently tried to seek a peaceful resolution, but we realized that an all-out strike is the only way to defend the shipbuilding industry and our jobs.”
Strikes at Korean yards are becoming more common as anger grows at senior management and the government over the handling of the downturn. South Korea has one of the most militant set of unions in Asia, with strikes a common form of protest across all industries.