Hanjin shipyard strike ends in Korea, but crane protest goes on

SEOUL: A six-month strike at a South Korean shipyard has ended, the company said Monday, but a female labour activist had not yet abandoned a solo protest atop a 35-metre (115-foot) crane.

The stoppage began on December 20 at the yard owned by Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction in the southern port city of Busan, after the company announced plans to cut 400 jobs through an early retirement package.

"Union leaders agreed to end the strike and resumed talks with management," a company spokesman told AFP, adding the shipyard has almost no backlog of orders because of the labour strife.