BUPYEONG, South Korea General Motors Co’s (GM.N) South Korean unit canceled a news conference on Monday after a dozen temporary workers forced their way into the event venue minutes beforehand, chanting slogans that called on the automaker to hire them full time.
The news conference was to be the first since GM Korea averted bankruptcy last month after winning major concessions from its union of regular workers as well as government funding, and was to be attended by the heads of both GM Korea and GM International.
But the cancellation illustrated how the status of temporary workers, seeking job security at a time of uncertainty at the automaker, remains a challenge for GM Korea in a country where auto unions are known to be strong and militant.
About 15 minutes before the news conference was scheduled to begin at 10 am local time, temporary workers entered the venue holding signs and chanting slogans such as, “Abolish non-regular positions” and “Let’s fight until the end and return to the factory”.
