hankyoreh

Ssangyong Motors management and labor began negotiations on Thursday, the 70th day of the union’s strike. Management and labor engaged in a tug of war on the issue of dismissals until late that night.

The seven representatives of management and labor began negotiations in a container installed temporarily in a peace zone in the automaker’s plant in Pyeongtaek City located in Gyeonggi Province at 9:00 a.m. They discussed several key issues, including dismissals, and the compensation suit against the unionists for facility damages.

It had been 42 days since representatives from the two sides had met. One of Ssangyong Motors’ joint receivers, Park Young-tae, and two senior management members met with union head Han Sang-yoon and three other senior unionists.

Management suggested a revised company recovery plan that increased the numbers of suspension without payment to forty percent from the ten percent that had been presented on June 26. In response, the union explained the rationale behind their “Emergency Personnel Management Plan,” which also includes a proposal to increase the rate of workers’ suspensions in order to reduce the number of permanent dismissals.

The union expressed their willingness to accept the proposal made by management, including an item on the transposition of sales and spin-offs, however, the union asked at both the 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. negotiation for an increase in the rate of workers’ suspension without payment. In response, the management asked the union to provide clear numbers in regards to the transposition of sales and spin-offs.

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