SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) — Employees of POSCO Holdings Inc., South Korea’s premier steelmaker, stated on Monday that they had chosen to strike in order to seek a higher salary.
In a mobile ballot held over the weekend, over 75 percent of the workers represented by unions at POSCO voted in favor of the strike, while around 21 percent voted against it.
The labor union can go on strike when the National Labor Relations Commission finishes its 10-day mediation process, which concludes Monday, and finds that the two sides are unable to come to an agreement.
From May, the union representing POSCO workers and the management have held multiple collective bargaining meetings but have failed to reach a consensus concerning wage increases.
The company has offered an increase of 162,000 won (US$120) in basic monthly salary and other benefits, while the labor union has demanded a 13.1 percent rise in the basic monthly salary.
The two sides were scheduled to hold last talks Monday under the arbitration of the central labor relations committee.
Unionized workers of POSCO Holdings Inc. hold a ceremony to celebrate the launch of a collective action committee in front of the company's steel plant in Gwangyang, about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, in this file photo taken Sept. 6, 2023. (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
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