Unionised workers at Kia Motors, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor where a seven-week strike has just been settled, said they would go on strike on Saturday to press for higher wages.

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According to Reuters, the 23,500-strong union said it would hold another one-day strike on August 16 if the company did not accept demands by August 14 for an 11.1% pay rise and their working week reduced to five days from six.

“We will enter a struggle to realise all of our demands for 2003 wages, as well as a five-day work week,” the union reportedly said in a statement on Friday. “No one will come to work on August 9.”

Reuters noted that the Hyundai Motor union earlier this week won an 8.6% wage hike or 98,000 won a month, as well as bonuses and incentive payments – the rise was more than double South Korea’s annual inflation rate of 3.1%.

Kia’s union said they would hold partial strikes for two to four hours daily beginning on Monday, Reuters added.

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