South Korea's largest car manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Co., announced a partial strike launched by its unionized workers on Thursday afternoon forced all of its domestic plants to stop operations.

The company planed to reopen local plants next Wednesday, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

The automaker's labor union said it decided to stage the partial strike due to wide differences with the management over pay and working conditions.

The 42,521 unionized Hyundai Motor's workers initially staged a two-hour strike on Thursday and are set to hold a six-hour walkout on Friday, said Yonhap.

The union is calling for a greater say in managerial affairs, an 8.5 percent rise in base salaries and a special bonus equivalent to 30 percent of the company's net profit.

The company's management is refusing to meet the demands, citing high oil prices, a protracted economic slump and sluggish overseas demand for its vehicles.

The labor union of Hyundai Motor has staged strikes every year since its foundation in 1987 except in 1994, when company employees and management enjoyed their only year of accord.

Source: Xinhua