As a strike by unionized subcontract workers at Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering entered its 49th day on Wednesday, labor-management negotiations resumed in the morning.

The two sides held talks until 10 p.m. on Tuesday and managed to narrow differences on the wage hike level, with the management side offering a four-point-five percent increase and the union asking for five percent, much lower than its initial 30 percent demand.

However, other sticking points remain, including when the wage hike will be implemented, the continued employment of workers from businesses that had folded and compensation for losses incurred.

On Wednesday, some subcontract workers are continuing their protest for the 49th day inside a vessel at one of Daewoo's key docks at the Okpo shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province.

As a show of support for the striking workers, the South Gyeongsang branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union will hold a rally at the front gate of Daewoo Shipbuilding from 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Some three-thousand union members are expected to take part and march on nearby roads.

Management-level officials of the subcontractor will hold a counter-rally inside the shipyard from 3 p.m. with some three-thousand expected to attend. The company has been calling for an end to the prolonged strike.

Eight squadrons of police officers will be deployed to the site in preparation for a possible contingency.