"Friction Grows Over ‘DS-Only’ Focus as Internal Conflict Escalates in Samsung Electronics Union Ahead of Strike (Comprehensive)"

Donghaeng Union: "Our Union's Existence Is Being Excluded"
70% of Members Belong to the DX Division
Warns of "Legal Action if Disadvantaged"
Super Enterprise Union: "We Have Never Excluded the Union"

With two weeks remaining before the all-out strike announced by the Samsung Electronics labor union, tensions are escalating between unions as Donghaeng, the Samsung Electronics Labor Union (Donghaeng Union), which recently withdrew from the Joint Struggle Headquarters, is demanding the sharing of negotiation information and an end to discrimination. This is due to the joint bargaining group focusing solely on performance bonuses for the semiconductor division, which has recently achieved high results, while ignoring the opinions of members from other divisions, such as home appliances and TV.

According to industry sources on May 7, the Donghaeng Union, which left the Samsung Electronics union’s joint bargaining group the previous day, sent an official letter to the joint bargaining group—comprised of the Samsung Electronics Branch of the Samsung Super-Enterprise Union (Super-Enterprise Union) and the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU)—calling for compliance with fair representation duties, including the sharing of negotiation information and the prohibition of discrimination. The Donghaeng Union demanded the following: ▲ sharing detailed progress updates related to negotiations with management ▲ sharing the full text of proposals from management and modification requests ▲ gathering the opinions of the union ▲ sharing schedules for future negotiations and key issues ▲ an official apology from the Super-Enterprise Union and an end to derogatory remarks.

The Donghaeng Union, which has more than 2,300 members, is comprised of about 70% of members from the Device eXperience (DX) division, responsible for businesses such as home appliances, smartphones, and TVs. Previously, when the Samsung Electronics union demanded that performance bonuses be concentrated in the Device Solutions (DS) division, which covers semiconductors, and raised union dues, many DX members withdrew from the Super-Enterprise Union. The number of Super-Enterprise Union members, which once exceeded 76,000, dropped to around 73,000. There are also signs of an effort to establish a new union centered on DX division employees.

The view of Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus in Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News.

In this situation, the Donghaeng Union withdrew from the Joint Struggle Headquarters, which had been formed together with the Super-Enterprise Union and NSEU, on May 4, citing that the negotiations were prioritizing only the semiconductor division. However, they clarified that ending their participation in the joint bargaining group does not exempt them from the legal obligation of fair representation as the bargaining representative union.

The Donghaeng Union stated that the Super-Enterprise Union had abused its authority as the majority union by ignoring and excluding the Donghaeng Union’s opinions, and by making derogatory remarks (referring to them as a “yellow union”) that constitute defamation under Article 311 of the Criminal Act. They stressed, “This goes beyond simple inter-union conflict and is an attempt to exclude and deny the very existence of our union.” The Donghaeng Union further warned, “If, after receiving this official letter, there is a continued refusal to share negotiation information or updates without reasonable grounds, or if any further remarks or actions disadvantage or demean our union members, we will apply for remedies at the Labor Relations Commission and pursue all possible civil and criminal legal actions, as well as strong countermeasures.” The Donghaeng Union requested an official response from both unions by noon on May 8.

On the same day, the Super-Enterprise Union responded to the Donghaeng Union, stating, “There has never been any intentional exclusion of the union or blocking of negotiation information,” and promised to provide advance notice of negotiation results and key updates. Choi Seungho, president of the Super-Enterprise Union, explained, “When we first decided on joint negotiations last year, the Donghaeng Union participated as well, and the removal of the performance bonus cap benefits both DS and DX divisions. The current demands to immediately distribute the performance gap, however, would be difficult for DS union members to accept.”

As the all-out strike, scheduled for 18 days starting May 21, approaches, interest is growing not only among politicians and academia but also among shareholders. The Korea Shareholder Activism Headquarters, which previously held a “Samsung Electronics Shareholder Rights Rally” in front of the National Assembly, held a press conference at the National Assembly on this day, asserting, “A full-scale strike and production stoppage must be withdrawn for the survival of both the nation and the company,” and adding, “The production halt and unreasonable monopoly on performance bonuses led by the Joint Struggle Headquarters are seriously threatening the foundations of the national economy.”

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