Employees Unable to Enter Ssangyong Motor
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The employees of Ssangyong Motor have tried to enter its factory occupied by fired workers in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province for two days in row as of Wednesday.
The workers came to the factory at around 8:30 a.m., but the laid-off unionized workers kept the gates closed and surrounded the fence, wearing masks and armed with pipes.
Police stood guard to stop any possible physical collision between the two groups, and warned the dismissed workers against using the pipes as weapon, and throwing feces.
The company said that some union members attacked three security guards hired by the company Tuesday.
``It is an illegal and systematical act of violence,'' said an executive of the carmaker. ``We urge the police to strictly investigate this violence and punish them in accordance with the law.''
Meanwhile, the union criticized the company for not honoring its pledge to not mobilize workers. The company and employees will try to enter the factory until Friday, then the feud is likely to deepen.
The dealerships of the troubled carmaker also called for the resumption of operations as soon as possible.
``Customers are canceling contracts because of the sit-in strike, and the shops are suffering from cash flow problems,'' said an official of the car salesmen association during a press conference Wednesday. ``We may go bankrupt if the strike continues.''
According to them, they have signed sales contracts for 5,800 cars, but 1,000 of them were cancelled and 4,800 are still awaiting confirmation. They sold only 90 cars in stock in June.
The labor union went on strike requesting the company retract its mass dismissal. They started a partial strike on April 24, and occupied the factory and blocked the gate on May 26.
In addition, three union executives have been in a sit-down strike on the chimney of the factory building since May 13, but one quit last Saturday due to health problems.
The union claims that the government is responsible for this situation because it sold the local carmaker to China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, and has asked for direct discussion with the government, not the company, to ask for an immediate injection of public capital to rejuvenate Ssangyong.