<article><p class="lead">The Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU) plans to hold strikes over April-July in response to the government's labour reforms, threatening to disrupt the country's automobile, shipbuilding and steel industries.</p><p>The first strike will involve 10,000 people and will be held on 19 April, according to the KMWU on 28 February. There will be a second general full-scale strike in May, followed by a third general strike by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in July.</p><p>"The Yoon Seok-yeol regime has declared war on workers in the name of labor reform," said KMWU chairman Yoon Jang-hyuk on 27 February. "They are violating autonomy by reducing wages through the expansion of overtime work, introducing a salary system, cutting wages by abolishing weekly holiday pay and condemning labor unions as corrupt groups."</p><p>The KMWU said it has 180,000 members working in the automobile, shipbuilding and steel industries, among others. It has branches at domestic automobile manufacturers Kia, Ssanyong, Hyundai and GM Korea, domestic automobile part manufacturer Mando, along with domestic shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries.</p><p>The union is demanding a minimum wage of 11,000 won/hour ($8.35/h) in the metal industry, among other requirements. </p><p>The country's trade and industry ministry (Motie) last month released a <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2421608">steel industry development strategy</a>, with Motie minister Lee Chang-yang noting the importance of labour management in the steel industry, while expressing concerns that some union law amendments under deliberation could result in business activity being affected by illegal strikes. "We will do our best to establish advanced labour management relations that meet global standards," he said at the time.</p><p>Strikes last year affected South Korea's oil, petrochemical and metal industries. <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2397360">Domestic truck drivers</a> started an 11-day strike on 24 November 2022 over pay and conditions,. The strike, involving up to 25,000 truck drivers, <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2396890">disrupted steel shipments</a> worth W1.1 trillion.</p><p class="bylines">By Tng Yong Li</p></article>
