Samsung Biologics Labor and Management Cancel Meeting Over Unauthorized Disclosure of Phone Call

The one-on-one meeting between representatives of management and the labor union at Samsung Biologics, which was scheduled for the afternoon of May 6, was canceled. The company decided to call off the meeting, expressing regret that part of a recent phone conversation between labor and management had been disclosed without authorization and ridiculed on an anonymous online community for office workers.

The Samsung Biologics labor union, known as the Sangsaeng Branch, countered by stating, "We only shared part of the call to build solidarity among union members and to highlight the lack of change in management’s stance." Although the originally planned one-on-one meeting was canceled, the company emphasized that it remains open to dialogue and announced its intention to seek a resolution during a three-way meeting involving the Ministry of Employment and Labor scheduled for May 8.

Previously, the union had staged partial and full strikes from April 28 to May 5. The union is demanding a 30 million won incentive per person, an average 14% wage increase, a performance bonus equivalent to 20% of operating profit, and the establishment of fair personnel standards. In addition, the union is calling for an equal wage increase of 3.5 million won for all employees, which alone would result in about a 7% increase in starting salaries for new hires. When combined, the total wage increase rate reaches 21.3%. This figure is more than three times higher than the company's record-high proposal of 6.2%. Management estimates that production of some products was halted due to the strike, resulting in losses of approximately 150 billion won.

After the full strike ended, all union members returned to the workplace on this day. However, they have now begun an indefinite work-to-rule campaign, refusing to work overtime or on holidays. The union maintains that it will strictly comply with safety protocols and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for pharmaceutical products. In contrast, management expressed concern that, given the 24-hour nature of its production processes, the company could suffer significant losses if essential personnel respond passively to emergencies.

The legal conflict between labor and management is also intensifying. Management has filed a police complaint against one union member, accusing them of obstruction of business, alleging that workers were approached and subjected to psychological pressure—such as being monitored at work and encouraged to leave—during the strike. The company is also reviewing possible personnel actions. The union argues that these actions were part of legitimate union activities. Even prior to the strike, both sides had engaged in legal disputes, with the company filing for an injunction to prohibit industrial action.

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