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.
韩国工会应该仔细考虑他们的诉求——从雇主利润中拿走更大份额并缩短工作时间。他们没有意识到这会导致韩国竞争力下降——该国汽车业正为此焦头烂额。目前现代汽车(Hyundai Motor)一半以上的汽车在海外工厂生产，而在5年前这个比例仅为三分之一。德意志银行(Deutsche Bank)估计，现代汽车国内生产线的竞争力比其在海外新成立的工厂要低30%。然而，韩国汽车业今年以来受到了罢工的重创。现实开始酿造出苦果。