Shares of South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix fell 1.5% to 1.646 million won on Friday after its labor union rejected a proposed wage agreement by a narrow margin, reflecting investor unease over potential production disruptions and compensation structure disputes.
The union vote, conducted among 15,045 members with a 93.8% turnout, saw 7,535 workers oppose the deal compared with 7,510 in favor—a difference of just 25 votes. The tentative agreement, reached after two months of negotiations, had proposed a 6.3% wage increase and a revised performance bonus system.
Under the proposed bonus structure, 40% of incentives would be paid in cash while 60% would be allocated in company stock. Of the stock component, 40% could be sold immediately, with the remaining 20% deferred in 10% installments over two years. Workers raised concerns about the stock-based portion given the volatility of SK Hynix’s shares, which have surged alongside demand for high-bandwidth memory chips used in artificial intelligence applications.
The KOSPI index edged up 0.2% on the day, contrasting with SK Hynix’s decline. The company has not indicated any immediate impact on production following the vote, though labor disputes remain a key risk factor for semiconductor manufacturers amid tight global supply chains.
