Hyundai Motor union says may launch full strike Tues

SEOUL, June 17 Reuters reported that unionised workers at South Korea's largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Co, said on Monday they could launch a full strike beginning on Tuesday to demand higher wages and bonuses if talks with management fail.

With Hyundai Motor forecasting sales to hit a record 1.72 million units for the year against 1.51 million in 2000, workers are now demanding a bigger slice of the pie.

"We will decide on the strike after talks with the management later today," Chang Kyu-ho, an official at Hyundai's labour union, told Reuters. "If results of the talks are unsatisfactory, we could go on a full strike beginning tomorrow."

Collective bargaining with the management is slated for 2 p.m. (0500 GMT), he said.

Hyundai's 38,000 unionised workers have been on a partial strike on and off since wage negotiations and collective bargaining between the union and management began in late October.

Hyundai Motor shares fell 4.8 percent to 40,000 won at 0035 GMT, underperforming the broader stock index down 0.27 percent.

Unionised workers are demanding a 12.5 percent wage increase, or around 128,880 won ($105.5) a month.

Workers are also demanding 30 percent of Hyundai's net profit this year to be spread out as performance bonuses to workers.

In June last year, U.S.-German automaker DaimlerChrysler AG, which owns 10 percent of Hyundai Motor, invested $180 million to set up a truck joint venture to produce diesel engines.