Samsung "Establishment of 'Labor-Management Advisory Group'"... Jun Gamwi "Includes Advanced Details" (Comprehensive)

On the 6th, when Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, made a public apology regarding the succession of management rights, non-union management, and communication with civil society, the Seocho-dong headquarters was quiet. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Seven affiliates of Samsung Group have decided to operate a 'Labor-Management Relations Advisory Group' composed of external experts to ensure the effective guarantee of the 'three labor rights' and to designate a dedicated liaison for communication with civic groups. This is a follow-up measure following Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics' public apology on the 6th of last month, which was made in response to recommendations from the Samsung Compliance Committee.

Regarding this, the Compliance Committee stated that there have been advancements in the implementation plans presented by Samsung and requested the establishment of effective procedural regulations to guarantee union activities.

On the 4th, seven affiliates including Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T Corporation announced that they had submitted an implementation plan containing these details to the Compliance Committee at the 6th regular meeting of the committee.

Previously, on March 11, the Compliance Committee recommended that Vice Chairman Lee clarify Samsung's stance on labor, succession, and communication with civil society. In response, Vice Chairman Lee announced last month through a public apology that he would improve the pointed-out issues.

To fulfill the promised 'effective guarantee of the three labor rights,' it was explained that an 'Labor-Management Relations Advisory Group' composed of external experts would be established under the board of directors, granting it a practical role including advising on labor-management policies and proposing improvement measures.

Additionally, the implementation plan includes ▲mandatory labor-related compliance education for domestic and overseas employees ▲strengthening compliance monitoring activities by the Compliance Team ▲inviting speakers from labor and human rights organizations for lectures.

Samsung plans to review a sustainable management system as a mid- to long-term task to prevent violations of compliance obligations and enhance management efficiency. To this end, it is also considering commissioning external professional institutions to conduct research on reviewing laws and systems and benchmarking cases of leading overseas companies.

Regarding practical measures to restore trust with civic groups, Samsung plans to designate a dedicated liaison to serve as a communication channel for discussing mutually beneficial development plans through continuous communication with civil society. Furthermore, Samsung will expand understanding and cooperation by holding meetings with civic groups in various fields such as environment, economy, consumers, and human rights, and by inviting civic groups to internal events.

Samsung stated, “To establish a culture of compliance, we will continue to respect the committee’s opinions and cooperate continuously with the committee.”

Kim Ji-hyung, Chairman of the Samsung Compliance Committee, is presiding over the '1st Meeting of the Samsung Compliance Committee' held on the 5th at the Samsung Life Seocho Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The Samsung Compliance Committee is an external independent organization established to eradicate illegal activities by executives and employees, including CEOs of major Samsung affiliates, and to strengthen compliance management. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Compliance Committee held a regular meeting at 2 p.m. yesterday at the Samsung Life Seocho Tower in Seoul. At this meeting, compliance officers from seven Samsung affiliates all attended and reported on the implementation plans.

After the meeting, the Compliance Committee stated, “The plans include advanced content,” and expressed the opinion that “detailed task selection, specific procedures, and roadmaps need to be supplemented.”

The Compliance Committee urged Samsung to organize effective procedural regulations to guarantee union activities and to review measures to secure industrial safety and health. They also requested Samsung to consider social values that can be realized through cooperation with civil society.

The Compliance Committee further stated, “For matters that must be pursued as mid- to long-term tasks, we will continuously monitor their implementation,” indicating that they will allow time regarding management succession.

Meanwhile, at this meeting, Lee In-yong, president of Samsung Electronics and an internal member of the committee, announced his intention to resign.

The reason given was to focus on his duties as the Corporate Relations (CR) officer due to the expansion of internal and external communication of the company following the committee’s recommendations.

The committee announced that it plans to discuss the appointment of a successor member along with the vacancy caused by the resignation of former member Kwon Tae-sun.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.