Ssangyong may talk with fired workers
Participants of a rally in support of laid-off Ssangyong Motor workers crawl on a street near Seoul City Hall, Sunday, in protest against the firm’s refusal to rehire the former employees. / Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
Ssangyong Motor has left open the possibility of talks between the visiting chairman of its Indian parent company and a protesting group of fired workers, the automaker said Sunday.
“Dialogue is possible, but the protestors should first come down from the chimney,” said Ssangyong assistant managing director Chung Mu-young. Mahindra Group is the carmaker’s largest shareholder, and Chairman Anand Mahindra is scheduled to visit Korea to launch the new Tivoli model, Tuesday.
Chung insisted that the laid-off workers should end their “chimney protest” before talks could take place.
Two former Ssangyong workers have been staging a protest since Dec. 13 on top of a 70-meter chimney at the company’s plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, demanding they be reinstated. Last Friday, the former workers said they were open to talks with Mahindra.
“Ssangyong has been in financial trouble,” Chung said. “When things turn better, we could consider hiring former workers back. But this is simply not a good time. I hope these union members understand the situation.”
Mahindra reportedly said during a meeting with Korean politicians last year that he would review the issue of reinstating the workers.
A Korean Metal Workers’ Union official said that before they came down, the workers would need a firm promise by Mahindra.
“Coming down from the chimney is like disarming ourselves,” said union official Kim Jeong-woon. “That is not possible. We can’t accept that condition.”
He said the claim of financial difficulties was just an excuse for the company not to rehire the workers.
“I believe if they hire us back, it will help Tivoli sell more,” Kim said.
Ssangyong Motors laid off almost 2,000 workers in 2009, citing financial difficulties.
Almost 150 of them filed a suit, demanding reinstatement. The Supreme Court ruled last November that Ssangyong’s decision was legitimate, overturning a lower court ruling. The decision outraged the former workers, prompting two — Kim Jeong-wook and Lee Chang-geun — to protest on top of the chimney.
The automaker filed a complaint with prosecutors, saying the men’s illegal entry to the company’s property and the protest were hurting the company’s reputation. In a separate complaint filed with a local court in Suwon last week, the company sought to charge the two men 1 million won ($909) a day each for disturbing operations.
Last weekend, the former workers staged a protest in Seoul by crawling along the streets.
The renewed tension is drawing attention from a political party and a celebrity. .
The minor opposition Justice Party said it hoped Mahindra’s visit would help resolve the matter.
Celebrity Lee Hyo-ri offered to be a free model for the new Tivoli model if the company rehired the men.
“I hope Ssangyong Motor sells a lot of its new model Tivoli, so its finances can be stabilized and the people who lost their jobs can get back to work,” Lee wrote on her Twitter account on Dec. 18.