Labor and management at Ssangyong Motor reached an Agreement to Stabilize Management of Ssangyong Motor,” which was made through tripartite dialogues between Ssangyong Motor labor and management and the Korean Metal Workers Union (KMWU). This agreement opens the door for the carmaker to carry out in full the agreement made on 6 August 2009 between the company’s labor and management.
The new agreement requires hiring of those who voluntarily retired or were dismissed during the company’s restructuring in 2009. The rehiring will be done gradually and according to demand for new technicians, and if the retirees and dismissed workers apply for positions. A committee will also be set up to monitor the rehiring process.
The agreement also creates the foundation for Ssangyong Motor to be able to focus on stabilizing its management.
Since January 2015, the tripartite committee at Ssngyong Motor (Ssangyong Motor labor and management and the Ssangyong chapter of the KMWU) has worked on issues such as ▲ rehiring of dismissed workers ▲ measures to stabilize company management ▲ resolving a lawsuit for damages and provisional attachment filed by the company against its trade union ▲ measures to support families of deceased workers.
During the discussions, the tripartite agreed on a gradual rehiring of workers who left the company (whether they were dismissed or left voluntarily) during its 2009 restructuring if the company has vacancies for new technicians. Furthermore, it was decided to set up a fund to assist the families of workers who had died since leaving the company in 2009. The fund will offer substantial help to such families and also to workers waiting to be rehired.
In attempting to fulfill its 6 August 2009 agreement, Ssangyong Motor withdrew its civil and criminal lawsuits against members of its union for an illegal strike (January 2010) after the Seoul Central District Court approved the company’s rehabilitation plans. After labor-management consultations in March 2013, the company also reinstated every worker who was on leave without pay.