GM, Korean union may have deal on wages, workers

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — General Motors said that it has reached a tentative agreement with its South Korean labor union on measures to cut costs and allocate new car models to GM Korea factories.

The agreement between GM and its union steers the American carmaker away from filing for bankruptcy protection for its loss-making Korean unit. It also paves the way for support from the Korea Development Bank, which holds a 17 percent stake in GM Korea.

The union will vote on the deal later this week.

“Ratification of the tentative agreement is critical to our viability plan and securing support of the Korean government and our shareholders, KDB and GM,” GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem said in a statement. “The labor union has demonstrated its commitment and we continue to work with our other key stakeholders to gain their support.”

The agreement reached by GM and its union after 14 rounds of negotiations calls for freezing wages and canceling bonuses this year and cutting some benefits. GM will allocate production of new models of sport-utility vehicles to two local factories to stabilize their operations. Those models are “important new products” with big production volume that will be mostly shipped abroad, Barry Engle, GM’s executive vice president told reporters.

GM shocked South Korea when it announced in February that it plans to close one of four Korean factories in Gunsan by May as part of a broader restructuring plan.

To keep its Korean unit afloat, GM is seeking investment and tax incentives from South Korea’s government, which controls the Korea Development Bank. The government will decide on injecting fresh funds into GM Korea after reassessing its finances and outlook.

The government said Monday that it respects the agreement between GM and the union.