Hyundai Motor`s labor union elects moderate leader

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in last seven paras)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- The labor union of South Korea's largest automaker,
Hyundai Motor Co., on Friday elected a moderate figure as its new leader in a
tightly contested race, company and union officials said, signaling a change in
the body's often militant approach.
Lee Kyung-hun, who sought to represent centrist and pragmatic forces in the
Hyundai Motor union while vowing to improve employee welfare, won 52.56 percent
of 40,288 votes cast, defeating rival candidate Kwon O-il, who grabbed 46.98
percent of the votes, said the officials.
Throughout his campaign, Kwon had pledged to fight against the government's labor
policies.
This is the first time in 15 years that the Hyundai Motor union has elected a
moderate figure as its leader.
Lee, 49, focused his campaign on appealing to unionized workers fed-up with the
current leadership's anti-government stance under the guidance of the umbrella
Korean Metal Workers' Union.
"Hyundai Motor unionists chose stability over struggle. They chose pragmatism
over cause. We'll pursue a path of moderation and pragmatism. Without changes to
the Korean Metal Workers' Union, Hyundai Motor will collapse," said Lee, who will
serve as Hyundai Motor's top labor leader for two years, starting in October.
Buoyed by the expectations that the new labor chief will bring change, union
members said Hyundai Motor is set for an era of negotiation instead of conflicts.
"This election showed union members' desire to see change in labor movement," a
former union official said.
Industry watchers are also keeping an eye on the new leader's next step, as poor
labor relations have been considered one of the biggest hurdles for Hyundai's
rise to the ranks of the world's most competitive automakers.
Strikes have been an annual ritual at wage talks of Hyundai, which controls more
than 75 percent of the South Korean auto market, together with its affiliate Kia
Motors Corp.
Every year since its establishment in 1987, the union has either been at odds
with management over wage negotiations or gone on strike for political reasons,
with the only exception in 1994.
Hyundai Motor's hard-line union last year joined a nationwide strike protesting
against the resumption of U.S. beef imports, which the government deemed illegal
as their demands were not directly related to pay or working conditions.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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