In last-minute attempts to revitalize South Korean carmaker Ssangyong, unions have reached agreement with the management over wage levels for this year.
Ssangyong disclosed that this decision is part of the annual collective bargaining agreement on the wage and working conditions of employees. Since early last year, the company has been under bankruptcy protection. The company’s dilemma began when China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. canceled its 51% stake. In the first three months of the year, Ssangyong lost US$22m. However, this is really a sharp improvement from a net loss of US$23m during the same period in 2009. Last week, Ssangyong opened a bid to sell a majority of its stakes. It is expected to choose a preferred bidder this August. To encourage the sale, unions have agreed to implement the government’s so-called ‘time-off’ system, which will lower the number of full-time union leaders on payroll from the current 39 to around seven.
[via just-auto – sub. required]
Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots