Samsung Electronics Union Steps Back from 'Strike'... Urges Open Dialogue with Management

"Solidarity and Struggle with Other Samsung Group Unions if Dialogue Fails"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] "Let's resolve this through open dialogue between top management and the union."

On the morning of the 16th, a banner urging dialogue with Samsung Electronics management was displayed in front of Samsung Electronics' Seocho-dong headquarters. The Samsung Electronics Union Joint Negotiation Team held a press conference to announce their position on the Central Labor Relations Commission's decision to suspend mediation, and instead of an immediate strike, they took out the card of urging dialogue with top management.

At the press conference, Lee Hyun-guk, Emergency Measures Committee Chairman of the National Samsung Electronics Union, called for prompt participation in talks by management, stating, "Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics promised to guarantee the three labor rights, but the 15 rounds of wage negotiations only confirmed differences in positions, and not a single one of the 44 clauses demanded by the union was accepted."

He added, "We want to have a dialogue with Samsung Electronics' top management to ensure a transparent and fair wage system and employee rest rights, which are the core demands of the 2021 wage negotiation union proposal. Let's have the top management and union representatives meet decisively and make a decision."

The management mentioned by the union as dialogue partners includes Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, President Kyung Kye-hyun, as well as Samsung's head, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong. Despite Samsung's declaration to abandon no-union management, they have not shown sincere negotiation attitudes, and the union wants to meet directly with management to reach a settlement.

Regarding the possibility of a strike, Lee expressed the intention to first pursue dialogue with management, and if the demand for dialogue is still not accepted, to unite with other unions within the Samsung Group and engage in collective action.

The union currently demands ▲a uniform annual salary increase of 10 million won ▲a 25% performance bonus based on annual operating profit ▲abolition of the comprehensive wage system. However, Samsung Electronics maintains the position that additional increases beyond the existing wage increase determined by the labor-management council composed of employee representatives are difficult. Currently, negotiations between the company and the union have broken down. The union applied for mediation to the Central Labor Relations Commission under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, but the commission judged that the gap between the positions of labor and management was not narrowing and on the 14th made the final decision to 'suspend mediation.'

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