The number of labor disputes in South Korea jumped nearly 80 percent in the first nine months of 2014 from a year earlier, the labor ministry said Monday.

The cases numbered 88 between January and September, up 76 percent from the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The disputes resulted in 417,000 lost working days, down 4.1 percent from the previous year.

Only 45.2 percent of the 9,905 companies that hired more than 100 employees reached wage agreements with their workers, compared with 46 percent last year. Wages increased 4.4 percent, up 0.9 percentage point from 2013.

Of the nation's five automakers, four -- Hyundai Motor Co., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Co. and Ssangyong Motor Co. -- have wrapped up wage negotiations and collective bargaining with their unions, while Kia Motors Corp. are in negotiations.

Of the three major shipbuilders, only Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. has settled with its labor union on wage hikes and working conditions, while Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. have yet to reach an agreement with unionized workers, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)