Samsung Biologics General Strike Ends After Five Days... Overtime and Holiday Work Refused Starting May 6

Union Continues to Demand "14% Wage Increase"
Management Expresses Concern: "Compliance Protest Could Cause Greater Losses"

The Samsung Biologics labor union will end its five-day general strike and begin an indefinite compliance-based protest starting May 6, 2026.

The Samsung Biologics Cooperative Branch, an enterprise-level union under the Samsung Group, carried out the strike from May 1 to May 5 by using annual leave on weekdays and refusing to work on holidays. Approximately 2,800 out of the union’s 4,000 members participated in the strike. The union is demanding a 30 million won incentive per person, an average 14% wage increase, the distribution of 20% of operating profit as performance bonuses, and the establishment of fair personnel standards from management.

The union plans to end the general strike on May 5 and return to the workplace on May 6, where it will continue an indefinite compliance-based protest by refusing overtime and holiday work. Previously, labor and management met on May 4 through mediation by the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office, but were unable to narrow their differences. The union rejected the company’s proposal to halt industrial action and withdraw lawsuits, stating that the meeting concluded without the company presenting concrete proposals. Both parties are scheduled to continue discussions with a one-on-one meeting between chief negotiators on May 6, and a three-way meeting involving the Ministry of Employment and Labor on May 8.

Meanwhile, due to a partial strike involving about 60 workers from April 28 to April 30, production of some products, including anticancer drugs, was halted, and the company estimates losses of approximately 150 billion won.

Regarding the union’s shift to a compliance-based protest, management stated, “Depending on the method of the compliance protest, the scale of losses may vary. Given the 24-hour operation of biopharmaceutical production processes, not only the refusal of overtime and special work, but also a passive response by essential personnel in the event of emergencies could further increase the damage.”

They added, “The company will continue to inform employees about these industry-specific circumstances and will strive to minimize damage through advance preparations for emergency situations.”

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