South Korea’s labour unions should be careful what they wish for – a bigger slice of their employers’ profits and improved working hours. They ignore the slide this causes in the country’s competitiveness that its automotive industry is struggling to address. Hyundai Motorproduces more than half of its cars in plants overseas, compared to a third just five years ago. Deutsche Bank estimates that the group’s product lines at home are 30 per cent less competitive than its newest plants abroad. Yet the South Korean auto industry has been crippled by strikes this year. It is about time reality bit.
南韓工會應該仔細考慮他們的訴求——從僱主利潤中拿走更大份額並縮短工作時間。他們沒有意識到這會導致南韓競爭力下降——該國汽車業正爲此焦頭爛額。目前現代汽車(Hyundai Motor)一半以上的汽車在海外工廠生產，而在5年前這個比例僅爲三分之一。德意志銀行(Deutsche Bank)估計，現代汽車國內生產線的競爭力比其在海外新成立的工廠要低30%。然而，南韓汽車業今年以來受到了罷工的重創。現實開始釀造出苦果。
