Kakao Bank's unionized workers to stage strike next week

Employees will begin a full-scale strike on July 31 following the collapse of wage and benefits talks with management.

Kakao Bank employees protest outside the company's office in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, on July 21.

Unionized workers at internet-only Kakao Bank have voted to launch a full-scale strike on July 31, as talks with management over wage increases and other benefits fell through, its union said Tuesday.

The labor union and Kakao Bank's management have been in negotiations over a pay raise and other benefits but failed to narrow differences.

In the first quarter of the year, Kakao Bank logged an operating income of 211 billion won ($143 million) on revenue of 1.94 trillion won, both quarterly highs.

Its parent Kakao also has been mired in a labor dispute as wage negotiations between management and employees have been deadlocked for the past two months.

Kakao's unionized members staged a partial strike in early June, which followed a full-day strike on June 29.


Yonhap