Splash247: HD Hyundai union boss scales crane as wage talks collapse

Shipbuilding labour unrest has intensified in South Korea with the head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ union climbing a 40 m crane at the group’s Ulsan yard this morning in protest over stalled wage negotiations.

Baek Ho-sun, branch chief of the Metal Workers’ Union at Hyundai Heavy, began his high-altitude protest shortly before 10 am, declaring he would not move unless management tables a fresh pay offer ahead of an upcoming public holiday. 

The crane occupation has forced a halt in block-turnover operations, threatening delays across assembly lines at one of the world’s largest shipyards. Hundreds of union members rallied below in support, as part of a wider seven-hour strike staged at the yard with some violent scenes captured on video.

The union has been locked in negotiations with management since May, with more than 20 rounds of talks producing no breakthrough. A tentative agreement in July — KRW133,000 ($97) added to base pay plus a KRW5.2m ($3,800) bonus — was rejected by members. Workers are now demanding KRW141,300 in basic pay increases, retirement-age extensions, and revised performance bonus metrics.

Tensions are spreading across the group. Unions at HD Hyundai Mipo and HD Hyundai Samho also launched partial strikes today, marking the first coordinated industrial action by the group’s three shipbuilding subsidiaries. The federated unions plan to escalate further with a mass rally at HD Hyundai’s global R&D centre near Seoul on September 12.

Rivals Samsung Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean have already secured wage settlements. Samsung Heavy yesterday confirmed a tentative agreement pending a final vote, while Hanwha struck terms back in July.

The Ulsan protest revives memories of past confrontations in Korea’s shipbuilding heartland, where crane occupations have become a signature move of organised labour.