[Edaily Reporter LEE YUNHWA ] Although labor and management at Hyundai Wia have finalized this year’s wage and collective bargaining agreement, labor unions at subsidiaries Mobiant and Techgen launched a partial strike on the 6th. With the unions at both companies also warning of strikes on the 11th and 13th, concerns are mounting that vehicle production—including at Kia’s Gwangju plant—could be disrupted.

According to industry sources on the 6th, the Mobient and Techgen unions—both affiliated with the Korean Metal Workers’ Union—staged partial strikes that day involving members of both the day and night shifts. The Techgen union issued instructions to suspend work for four hours each during the day and night shifts, while the Mobient union prohibited overtime work during the labor dispute.

Mobient and Techgen are subsidiaries established by Hyundai Wia in 2023 to specialize in the manufacture of automotive modules and core components. Mobient produces chassis and axle modules, while Techgen manufactures engines, all-wheel-drive components, and constant-velocity joints.

These union strikes could also affect finished vehicle production at Kia’s Gwangju plant. During a joint strike by the unions of both companies last September, operations on some production lines at the Kia Gwangju plant were suspended.

The unions claimed that management is delaying negotiations with the subsidiaries, citing the status of negotiations with the parent company. In a joint statement on the 5th, the unions of both companies stated, “The 2026 wage and collective bargaining negotiations for Mobient and Techgen have effectively been at a standstill since October,” adding, “Management has not presented any proposals, citing the rejection of the parent company’s proposal at the end of September.”

The union proposed three weeks of intensive negotiations starting in mid-October, but management reportedly did not present any proposals during that period and instead suggested holding negotiations on the 5th—the day of the vote on the tentative agreement at the parent company, Hyundai Wia. The union claims that management delayed negotiations out of concern that negotiations with the subsidiaries would influence those with the parent company. The union also demanded that Hyundai Wia participate directly in the negotiations, arguing that the parent company holds the actual decision-making authority regarding employment and key issues.

Meanwhile, labor and management at the parent company, Hyundai Wia, concluded this year’s wage and collective bargaining negotiations after the second tentative agreement, reached on the 3rd, was approved in a union member vote on the 5th. The wage agreement received a 58.79% approval rate, while the collective bargaining agreement received 61.19%. The agreement includes an 87,000 won increase in base pay and a 2,000 won increase in allowances, as well as a 400% performance bonus, a 10 million won incentive payment, and 400,000 won in gift certificates.