# HD Hyundai Heavy union votes down wage deal, reopening talks

*More than 52% of voting shipbuilders opposed the agreement over base wages, threatening production schedules across three years of dry dock orders for high-value gas carriers.*

**Published:** October 2, 2026  
**By:** Hyun-jung Lee  
**Section:** Shipbuilding & Defense — South Korea  
**Format:** Breaking  
**Confidence:** medium  
**Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/shipbuilding/hd-hyundai-heavy-union-votes-down-wage-deal-reopening-488  
**Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/)

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## What to know

- HD Hyundai Heavy union votes down wage pact with 52.14% opposing the draft
- Proposed 120,000 won base pay raise trails Samsung Heavy's 131,786 won benchmark
- Bargaining teams plan to resume contact after holiday week to set new schedule

![Shipbuilders wearing hard hats and blue uniforms stand inside a dock facility with large vessels under construction behind them. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-10-02-addc48899318.webp)
*Shipbuilders wearing hard hats and blue uniforms stand inside a dock facility with large vessels under construction behind them. (AI-generated image)*

Unionized shipbuilders at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries voted down a tentative wage agreement on Oct. 2, reopening contract negotiations and risking delivery delays across the shipbuilder's three-year vessel order backlog.

Out of 7,541 union members who cast ballots, 3,932 workers, or 52.14%, voted against the proposal. A total of 3,588 members, or 47.58%, voted in favor.

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Cite as: East Asia Brief, "HD Hyundai Heavy union votes down wage deal, reopening talks," October 2, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/shipbuilding/hd-hyundai-heavy-union-votes-down-wage-deal-reopening-488