Unionists at HD Hyundai's shipyards to hold strike vote in Oct.

ULSAN, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers at HD Hyundai's three shipyard units are likely to take a strike vote in late October amid little progress in their collective negotiations, sources said Thursday.

Unionists at the three shipbuilders -- Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. -- are slated to take a joint strike vote from Oct. 19-21.

It would mark the first time for the labor unions of the shipbuilders to hold a joint strike vote.

Unionized workers are asking for contracts that include a 142,300-won (US$103) hike in base pay and the abolition of a peak wage system.

Even though wage negotiations have been under way at each shipyard, little progress has been made so far.

Labor and management representatives of the shipyards are widely expected to hold full-fledged wage negotiations after the Chuseok fall harvest holiday that ends Monday.

HD Hyundai, formerly Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, is a shipbuilding, oil refining and machinery conglomerate in South Korea. The three shipyards are under the wing of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., the group's shipbuilding subholding company.

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