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The labor union at Hyundai Motor Co. stated on Jan. 22 that it “won’t ever tolerate the deployment of Atlas and not using a labor-management settlement,” voicing public opposition to the introduction of the humanoid robotic at manufacturing websites.
A “jobs struggle” between people and robots – as soon as confined to science fiction movies – has grow to be a actuality on South Korea’s manufacturing facility flooring. The controversy surrounding the deployment of Atlas is poised to grow to be probably the most contentious concern on this yr’s summer time labor negotiations.
In its official e-newsletter launched the identical day, the Hyundai Motor union acknowledged, “We anticipate a major employment shock from the mass manufacturing and deployment of Atlas on the manufacturing line. Not a single unit may be introduced in and not using a formal labor-management settlement.”
This follows an announcement by Hyundai Motor Group at CES 2026, the place the corporate unveiled Atlas and detailed plans for a phased rollout. The introduction is slated to start in 2028 on the Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia, U.S.A. The corporate famous that by 2030, the robots could be able to performing complicated element meeting. Moreover, Hyundai plans to ascertain a system for the mass manufacturing of 30,000 Atlas items yearly by 2028. Market response has been sturdy. Abroad media retailers have lauded the expertise, and Hyundai Motor’s inventory worth surged 85% as of Jan. 21.
The union argued that whereas using three employees across the clock would price about 300 million gained (roughly $204,318) yearly primarily based on a mean wage of 100 million gained, a robotic would require solely an estimated preliminary buy price of round 200 million gained, adopted by upkeep bills – making it a sexy choice for capital looking for to maximise long-term income.
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