Photo : YONHAP News
Unionized workers at Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s leading messaging service, have announced plans to launch a partial strike next week calling for job stability and an improvement in the company’s compensation structure.
In a statement on Monday, the union at Kakao Corporation said it will stage a four-hour walkout and a rally near the company’s headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, on June 10.
The union said it will stage a partial strike only in consideration of concerns over a possible disruption in the KakaoTalk messaging service, but said it could expand the size of the walkout depending on future negotiations with management.
The announces comes after a second round of mediated talks between labor and management fell through last week, with the two sides still divided over allocation of last year’s operating profit for bonuses and inclusion of restricted stock units in the incentive program.
Should the union proceed with the walkout, it would be the first at the company headquarters since its founding.
Four of Kakao’s affiliates, including Kakao Pay and Kakao Enterprise, had also obtained the right to strike after failing to reach a deal in their mediated talks.