Three hundred workers will be suspended for between 15 to 90 days, 280 will face wage cuts and 50 as a warning to deter future strikes.

"For a long time, management faced strong demands from its unionised workers and labour costs have hurt the company's competitiveness," a company spokesman was reported sa saying by the JoongAng Daily.

“The company couldn’t afford to meet union’s demands this time. The measures have not been completely worked out, so we cannot say publicly who exactly will be punished."

But he did confirm that former union leader Kim Jeong-gon would definitely be fired.

The union members are asking for leniency and another chance.

“Although we will follow the internal regulations, many are regretting their actions so we are hoping for a dialogue with the management again,” a union member told the daily.

The LG-Caltex workers walked off the job from 18 July-11 August in a bid for higher wages. The move received little pubic support due to the fact refinery workers are amongst the best paid in the domestic industrial sector. Even so, the sackings are massive considering South Korea’s stiff labour market.

According to the Korea Times report, LG-Caltex will finalise its decision on the sackings by 20 December after it hears the explanations of the workers involved in the strike.