Samsung Electronics Union Demands Replacement of Negotiator in Meeting with Minister Kim Younghoon

Minister Kim Visits Pyeongtaek Campus for Talks with Union
Union: "Substantive Change in Management's Stance Needed"
Dispute Continues over Removal of Performance Bonus Cap and Institutionalization

The Samsung Electronics labor union has demanded that Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, who stepped in as mediator ahead of a planned general strike, replace the company's chief negotiator and push for a change in the management's stance.

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, is attending the Emergency Economic Headquarters Meeting and the Economic and Real Estate Related Ministers' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News

On May 15, Minister Kim visited the union office at the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus and met with Choi Seungho, head of the Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group Super-Enterprise Union, the largest union within Samsung Electronics, to discuss issues surrounding the general strike and the status of labor-management negotiations.

Despite the company's request for additional talks, the Samsung Electronics union is maintaining its plan for a general strike. As concerns about the strike materializing have grown, Minister Kim has personally stepped in to mediate.

After the meeting, Choi Seungho stated, "We requested that the company replace its chief negotiator and make a substantive change in its position as a precondition for resuming negotiations."

The union also raised issues with remarks made by Vice President Kim Hyeongro, the company's chief negotiator, during a Central Labor Relations Commission meeting, the transcript of which was released by the union on the same day. Choi pointed out that Vice President Kim referenced Samsung Electronics' operating profit outlook and argued that he lacked an understanding of the semiconductor business.

There remains a gap between labor and management over the performance-based bonus system. The union is demanding greater transparency, the removal of caps, and institutionalization of the performance-based bonus system. Meanwhile, management insists on maintaining the existing system, while expressing openness to flexible operation through special incentives.

Choi said, "We had an open and candid discussion about the progress of negotiations, Samsung Electronics' business structure, and key issues," adding, "Minister Kim expressed sympathy with the union's stance and said he would convey our position to the management." He further emphasized, "If negotiations resume, we will participate in good faith and with a sense of responsibility."

The Samsung Electronics union has announced a planned general strike lasting 18 days, from May 21 to June 7. The union claims that up to 50,000 members could participate in the strike.

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