Hyundai Motor's Genesis production line at its Ulsan plant remained shut down Monday night after union representatives failed to reach a decision on resuming operations following a dispute over staffing levels for upcoming models.
Union representatives met for more than an hour Monday evening to discuss the production stoppage but reached no conclusion, according to industry sources.
The shutdown was expected to continue through the end of the evening shift at 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, with industry observers warning that disruptions could persist if negotiations over staffing requirements remain deadlocked.
The disruption began at around 9 a.m. Monday at Plant 5, where union representatives blocked the company from putting a test vehicle for the Genesis G80 hybrid sedan onto the assembly line.
Production remained suspended despite efforts by management to persuade workers to resume operations.
At 10:05 a.m., Hyundai notified workers that it would apply a "no work, no pay" policy to the entire Genesis assembly unit, which reportedly employs about 800 union members.
The dispute centers on negotiations over staffing requirements for production of the G80 hybrid and a facelifted version of the flagship G90 sedan.
Hyundai has sought an agreement with the union on the labor hours and workforce needed to build the new models, but union representatives have refused to proceed with the negotiations, according to the company.
The representatives are reportedly concerned that changes to the production process could reduce staffing requirements once the new vehicles enter mass production.
With no agreement reached at Monday's meeting, it remains unclear when production will resume.
mjh@heraldcorp.com
