Samsung Invites Former Leaders of Two Major Labor Unions for 'Labor-Management Win-Win' Lecture

Samsung Affiliate HR Team Leaders Attend, Former Labor Union Chairman Says "Samsung Display Negotiations Failed, Company Must Change First"

The appearance of Samsung Electronics Seocho Building Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] HR team leaders from Samsung Group affiliates invited former chairpersons of the two major labor unions to attend a lecture on labor-management issues.

According to Samsung Electronics on the 28th, about 20 HR team leaders from Samsung affiliates gathered at the Samsung Human Resources Development Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where they invited former chairpersons of the two major labor unions to listen to a lecture on ways to build constructive labor-management relations.

The lecture was attended by Kim Dong-man, former chairperson of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), and Baek Soon-hwan, former emergency committee chairperson of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), who offered advice on new coexistence strategies in response to recent changes in the labor-management environment.

Former chairpersons Kim and Baek introduced recent societal changes that could impact labor-management relations, such as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, accelerated digital transformation, demographic cliff, and the rise of the MZ generation. They then evaluated changes in Samsung’s labor-management relations over the past year and proposed various measures for desirable labor-management relations.

In particular, the two noted, "Many labor unions have been established in Samsung’s major affiliates, and efforts for change, such as recognizing union offices and full-time union officials through collective bargaining and guaranteeing union activities, are being positively evaluated."

However, they mentioned difficulties such as the recent breakdown in negotiations between Samsung Display’s union and management, which led to the initiation of dispute actions, emphasizing, "At times like these, labor and management must communicate more actively and broaden mutual understanding through dialogue to pursue common interests," adding, "For this, the company must change first."

The Samsung affiliate HR team leaders who attended the lecture showed great interest in the content through Q&A sessions and stated, "We will continue to listen to external experts’ opinions and make ongoing efforts to build constructive labor-management relations."

Last year in May, shortly after Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong declared a change in labor-management relations in a public statement, Samsung invited Moon Sung-hyun, chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Economic, Social and Labor Affairs, on June 1 to hold a lecture for presidents and HR team leaders of its affiliates.

Since then, major affiliates such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung Life Insurance, and Samsung C&T have formed advisory groups on labor relations consisting of labor experts, professors, and lawyers as part of efforts to create constructive labor-management relations. They regularly hold advisory meetings on human rights and labor issues and conduct briefings and training sessions for management and related employees.

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