Renault Samsung workers to stage strike again over wages

BUSAN, May 3 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers at Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Monday they have decided to lay down their tools again to demand a wage hike.

Renault Samsung's 1,900-strong workforce will launch an eight-hour strike at their plant in Busan, around 450 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday as they are not satisfied with the company's wage proposals.

The announcement came as they staged a six-hour strike Monday. They previously launched an eight-hour strike last Friday.

The union and the management held their ninth round of wage negotiations last Thursday but failed to narrow their differences.

The union has been demanding an increase of 71,687 won (US$64) in monthly basic pay and a bonus of 7 million won per worker. But the company proposed a wage freeze and a bonus of 3 million won.

The union previously asked the company to continue wage talks on Thursday and Friday, but the latest industrial actions may postpone their negotiations.

The South Korean unit of Renault S.A. earlier announced it sold 9,344 vehicles in April, down from 13,087 units a year earlier.

In the first three months of 2021, Renault Samsung's sales fell 22 percent to 22,068 vehicles from 28,390 units in the same period of last year.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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