The head of the Hyundai Motor Labor Union Tuesday cut off part of his little finger to express his stern will to do his best and obtain the most favorable outcome in the ongoing labor-management negotiations.
The bizarre behavior came as union leader Lee Kyung-hoon was briefing some 2,000 unionists on the process of collective bargaining negotiations at a Hyundai factory in Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province.
“I’d like to make a solemn vow by cutting my finger,” Lee said all of a sudden at the end of his speech, and took out a hand ax and cut off the end of his little finger.
He was immediately transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment but sent to a bigger hospital in Busan where he had the severed finger sewn back together.
The union and management have held 18 rounds of negotiations since June 8 to discuss issues such as wages and other working conditions but failed each time to narrow their differences.