Kia Motors filed criminal complaints against the leaders of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) in July 2016 over alleged illegal strikes. The complaint was filed against union leader Kim Sung-rak and five other union officials for taking Kia’s union into a nationwide strike organised by the KMWU, affiliated to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
Tens of thousands of trade union activists demonstrated in Seoul on Friday 22 July 2016 as part of a general strike by 150,000 metalworkers. The strike was in support of a dispute over wages and working conditions at Hyundai Motor Group. In order to resolve the dispute and improve the bargaining position of workers at other companies, the Korean Metal Workers Union (KMWU) called a general strike to demand sector wide collective bargaining
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The company claimed the union did not follow legal procedures for taking industrial action.