By Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin
SEOUL, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor’s labour union in South Korea warned the automaker on Thursday against deploying humanoid robots without union approval, saying the robots would bring “employment shocks”.
Hyundai’s plan to deploy humanoid robots starting in 2028 has sent its shares rallying to record highs, but it was not welcome news for workers, the union said in an internal letter reviewed by Reuters.
“Remember that without labour–management agreement, not a single robot using new technology will be allowed to enter the workplace,” the union said.
Hyundai Motor Group unveiled the production version of the Atlas humanoid robot, developed by its unit Boston Dynamics, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early this month.
It said that it aimed to build a factory capable of manufacturing 30,000 robot units annually by 2028 and that it planned to deploy humanoid robots at its U.S. plant in Georgia starting in 2028, with a goal to expand adoption across all production sites.
The union accused Hyundai of seeking to boost profits by deploying robots to reduce workforce.
Hyundai Motor did not immediately comment.
TARIFFS, US PRODUCTION
The union also criticised the automaker for its efforts to shift production to the United States, saying that Hyundai’s new factory in Georgia was already hurting domestic production and threatening job security at two of its factories in Korea.
Last year, Hyundai Motor, which together with affiliate Kia Corp is the world’s third-biggest automaker by sales, said its Georgia factory will reach annual production capacity of 500,000 vehicles by 2028 as it navigates U.S. tariffs.
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo JinEditing by Ed Davies and Tomasz Janowski)
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