[Reporter’s Notebook] A Union Insisting a "Strike" Is Just a Group Vacation

Photo by Donghoon Jung, Bio SME & Venture Department

Whenever a labor union strike looms, the term “full-scale strike” reliably makes an appearance. Just judging by the phrase, it sounds like a determined struggle in which every employee stops working and the production line comes to a halt. However, the reality witnessed at industrial sites often amounts to what is called a “bluff strike.” Even with banners proclaiming a general strike, the actual actions usually stay at the level of “using up as much paid leave as possible” or “refusing overtime.” The sight of only a few union executives remaining on site resembles more of a group vacation than a genuine struggle.

The Samsung Bioepis union is set to begin collective action starting April 22. The union is publicly issuing strong statements, declaring they are prepared to go as far as halting production processes. They have made threats, even mentioning potential damage to the company amounting to hundreds of billions of won. However, the core of the publicly released strike guidelines is, in fact, to maximize the use of paid leave during the bridge holiday period in early May.

The reason this kind of “free strike” form of collective action is repeated is that it allows the union to avoid the risks of a true struggle while still reaping practical benefits. However, this not only distorts the fundamental concept of a strike but also fundamentally undermines the order of labor-management relations.

A strike, at its core, is a last-resort, high-stakes strategy—“giving up flesh to take bone.” In order to win the union’s unprecedented wage increase demands, members must be prepared to accept financial losses and the risk of damage claims under the principle of “no work, no pay.” Only when the blow to the other side is greater than the loss suffered by oneself does real bargaining power emerge, making it a “war without gunfire.” Especially in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, if a process is halted even once, everything must be discarded. This unique aspect means that a strike is not just a work stoppage; it must be the ultimate measure that shakes the very foundation of the company’s existence.

However, the “group vacation” style of industrial action undermines the sincerity of the struggle. Trying to avoid wage cuts by using up annual leave easily comes across as selfishness—the union appears unwilling to accept even a single won of personal loss, even in a dispute that began over money. This only reinforces to the company and public that the union lacks the resolve to endure wage reductions.

From a tactical perspective, this approach is a path to defeat. The half-hearted bluff of taking leave signals to management that these employees will simply return once enough time passes. Management is unlikely to take a hard line struggle seriously when the union has not truly committed to a do-or-die stance. If members return empty-handed after an unconvincing vacation protest, it will be virtually impossible to build momentum for any subsequent strike.

The union must now ask itself: Are they prepared to shoulder the weight that the word “strike” carries? Is what they have loaded in their gun real ammunition, or is it just a loud blank? Squandering the union’s ultimate weapon for the sake of immediate incentives and paid leave will ultimately diminish the union’s own value.

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