AsiaShipyards

Korean yard workers threaten action over mass layoff plans

Unions at two of South Korea’s largest shipyards have warned they will take militant action if job cuts proceed as planned amid huge restructuring in the sector. Workers at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Hyundai Heavy Industries have threatened action if cuts move ahead as planned.

“The government is trying to pass the buck to workers without holding the management accountable for huge losses,” DSME’s union said in a recent letter. “It is natural for unionists, who have worked hard for the company, to protest such a move.”
Both DSME and HHI have laid out plans to cut their local workforces by around 3,000 staff each amid dwindling orderbooks and steep losses.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.
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