ID :
72152
Sat, 07/25/2009 - 20:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/72152
The shortlink copeid
Ssangyong rejects talks with strikers amid tense standoff
(ATTN: ADDS quotes in paras 8-11)
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, July 25 (Yonhap) -- Ssangyong Motor Co. refused Saturday
to hold talks with laid-off workers occupying part of the company's sole assembly
plant, saying it won't come back to the bargaining table until the strikers end
their violent behavior.
The refusal came a day after Ssangyong, which has been under bankruptcy
protection since February, agreed with leaders of its labor union to resume the
talks, which are under arbitration by lawmakers from both ruling and opposition
parties.
Thousands of riot police, armed with a court-issued eviction order, moved into
the plant in this rural town last week where hundreds of laid-off workers
remained holed up at a paint shop inside the factory for 65 days.
An estimated 900 strikers vowed to fight to the end by shooting nuts and bolts
from large slingshots and sometimes hurling Molotov cocktails. Police sprayed
tear gas from helicopters and electroshock guns to try to evict the unionists.
Scores of police and unionists were reportedly injured.
"Talks would be meaningless unless violent acts are halted," Ssangyong said in a
statement. "The union aims to lengthen the strike by making a gesture of
dialogue."
In February, Ssangyong received bankruptcy protection in exchange for
implementing a turnaround plan calling for 36 percent of its workforce, or 2,646
employees, to be cut.
Since then, some 1,670 workers have left the company through voluntary retirement
plans, while the remaining 976 workers have been on strike since May 21.
Ryu Jae-wan, an executive in charge of personnel affairs at Ssangyong, reiterated
that the company won't accept the union's demand to withdraw the layoff plan.
"In the least, the union needs to accept part of the workforce restructuring
plan," Ryu said. "By doing so, both sides can find a common ground."
But Lee Chang-geun, a spokesman with the Ssangyong union, insisted that the
company should return to the negotiating table to "peacefully resolve" the
strike.
"If the company doesn't want a raid by police, it should respond to talks to seek
ways to peacefully resolve the situation," Lee said.
Court-appointed managers at Ssangyong and government officials have warned that
the ailing carmaker may become insolvent if the strike continues.
Ssangyong has to submit the turnaround plan to its creditors and a bankruptcy
judge by Sept. 15.
In the first six months of this year, Ssangyong's auto sales plunged 73.9 percent
from the same period last year to 13,020 units.
Ssangyong is still 51-percent owned by China's Shanghai Automotive Industry
Corp., but the Chinese parent lost management control after Ssangyong entered
bankruptcy protection.
(END)
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea, July 25 (Yonhap) -- Ssangyong Motor Co. refused Saturday
to hold talks with laid-off workers occupying part of the company's sole assembly
plant, saying it won't come back to the bargaining table until the strikers end
their violent behavior.
The refusal came a day after Ssangyong, which has been under bankruptcy
protection since February, agreed with leaders of its labor union to resume the
talks, which are under arbitration by lawmakers from both ruling and opposition
parties.
Thousands of riot police, armed with a court-issued eviction order, moved into
the plant in this rural town last week where hundreds of laid-off workers
remained holed up at a paint shop inside the factory for 65 days.
An estimated 900 strikers vowed to fight to the end by shooting nuts and bolts
from large slingshots and sometimes hurling Molotov cocktails. Police sprayed
tear gas from helicopters and electroshock guns to try to evict the unionists.
Scores of police and unionists were reportedly injured.
"Talks would be meaningless unless violent acts are halted," Ssangyong said in a
statement. "The union aims to lengthen the strike by making a gesture of
dialogue."
In February, Ssangyong received bankruptcy protection in exchange for
implementing a turnaround plan calling for 36 percent of its workforce, or 2,646
employees, to be cut.
Since then, some 1,670 workers have left the company through voluntary retirement
plans, while the remaining 976 workers have been on strike since May 21.
Ryu Jae-wan, an executive in charge of personnel affairs at Ssangyong, reiterated
that the company won't accept the union's demand to withdraw the layoff plan.
"In the least, the union needs to accept part of the workforce restructuring
plan," Ryu said. "By doing so, both sides can find a common ground."
But Lee Chang-geun, a spokesman with the Ssangyong union, insisted that the
company should return to the negotiating table to "peacefully resolve" the
strike.
"If the company doesn't want a raid by police, it should respond to talks to seek
ways to peacefully resolve the situation," Lee said.
Court-appointed managers at Ssangyong and government officials have warned that
the ailing carmaker may become insolvent if the strike continues.
Ssangyong has to submit the turnaround plan to its creditors and a bankruptcy
judge by Sept. 15.
In the first six months of this year, Ssangyong's auto sales plunged 73.9 percent
from the same period last year to 13,020 units.
Ssangyong is still 51-percent owned by China's Shanghai Automotive Industry
Corp., but the Chinese parent lost management control after Ssangyong entered
bankruptcy protection.
(END)
