Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Hyundai Workers Strike Over Pay, Retirement and AI Job Protection
Hyundai workers in South Korea stopped working for a full day because negotiations with the company were stuck.
About 40,000 workers took part.
They want higher pay and bigger bonuses.
They also want to work until an older age instead of retiring at 60.
The union wants protection if robots or artificial intelligence replace some jobs.
It is also asking for dismissed union members to be reinstated.
Earlier strikes had already affected the production of about 55,200 vehicles.
Hyundai says it cannot accept the demands without legal or reasonable grounds.
The disagreement could cause more delays while Hyundai is already facing difficult competition and sales conditions.
Around 40,000 Hyundai Motor workers joined South Korea’s first full-day strike since 2016.
The union is demanding higher wages, a 50% bonus increase and a higher retirement age.
Workers also seek protection from AI-driven job losses and reinstatement of dismissed union members.
Partial strikes since late July disrupted production of about 55,200 vehicles worth over 2.3 trillion won.
Hyundai faces potential further disruption amid weaker domestic sales and competition from Chinese automakers.
- Who
- Around 40,000 Hyundai Motor union members and Hyundai management.
- What
- Workers staged the company’s first full-day strike in a decade during deadlocked wage negotiations.
- When
- Friday, following partial strikes since late July; the previous full-day strike was in 2016.
- Where
- Hyundai Motor’s major production plants in South Korea.
- Why
- The union is seeking higher pay, larger bonuses, a higher retirement age, reinstatement of dismissed members and protection against AI- and automation-related job losses.
Union position
Management position
Pay and bonuses
Union position
Workers are seeking higher wages and a 50% increase in bonuses, arguing that Hyundai has the financial strength to meet their demands.
Management position
Management has not accepted the union’s demands and says it cannot agree without sufficient legal or reasonable grounds.
Retirement age
Union position
The union wants the mandatory retirement age raised from 60 to improve employment and income security amid South Korea’s ageing population.
Management position
Management has not agreed to extend the retirement age as part of the current negotiations.
AI and automation
Union position
Workers want guarantees that AI and automation will not lead to job losses and want productivity gains to produce stronger employment protection and better pay.
Management position
Hyundai is investing in automation, AI and new technologies, while management must settle the dispute without further disrupting production and deliveries.
- Workers involved
- Around 40,000 union members
- Previous full-day strike
- 2016
- Retirement age sought
- Higher than the current mandatory age of 60
- Bonus demand
- A 50% increase
- Production disrupted
- About 55,200 vehicles since partial strikes began in late July
- Estimated production value
- More than 2.3 trillion won, or about $1.67 billion
- Further action
- The union has announced additional partial strikes if negotiations do not progress