48 Years Coming
Hyundai Motor is working to eliminate the overtime work of production workers starting in 2015. It means that a two-shift system will be changed to an eight-hour shift, and thus overtime work will be abolished for the first time, 48 years after its founding. Hyundai’s decision is expected to affect a reduction in working hours, which has yet to become law owing to a conflict between unions and the management.
“There will be no problems with the introduction of the new shift system if a sufficient quantity is secured through an improvement in productivity,” said an official high in Hyundai Motor on April 27. After the introduction, the working hours are expected to be reduced by more than 2 and a half hours per day and 290 hours per year.
However, it is going to be hard for labor and management to reach a final agreement, since both sides are likely to have different opinions on production problems relating to the scale of expanding manufacturing output per hour and the issue of maintaining the current wage level.