Taking Annual Leave and Adding "Strike" to Profiles, "It Feels Like Samsung Has Collapsed"... Unsettled Internal Atmosphere

Organizational Unrest Spreads Amid Aftermath of Performance Bonus Negotiations

Employees are arriving at Samsung Electronics Seocho Office in Seoul.

With Samsung Electronics labor and management failing to narrow their differences over performance bonuses, the largest strike in the company’s history is imminent. Despite requests from the government and management to resume dialogue, the labor union is maintaining its stance that negotiations are impossible without a change in the company's position, heightening the sense of tension. Internally, even cynical remarks such as "it feels like the company has collapsed" are surfacing, indicating a serious shift in organizational sentiment.

"A sense of failure"—Sighs from within

Recently, a post believed to have been written by an employee in the Samsung Electronics semiconductor (DS) division appeared online, describing the internal atmosphere. The writer stated, "It feels like the company has collapsed," referring to the relaxed mood on the ground ahead of the strike.

According to the post, a significant number of employees have requested annual leave to coincide with the strike period, and the response speed to work cooperation requests has notably decreased. It is also reported that many employees have added the word “strike” to their company messenger profiles to express dissatisfaction. Such scenes are considered unusual compared to Samsung's traditionally strong organizational cohesion and strict hierarchy.

Union division surfaces

On the 23rd of last month, the Samsung Electronics Labor Union Joint Struggle Headquarters held the "Let's Change Transparently and Realize the Abolition of the Cap - 4/23 Struggle Resolution Rally" in front of Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In addition to the labor-management conflict, internal division within the union is also becoming more pronounced. Union members from the Device eXperience (DX) division, in particular, are actively questioning the representativeness of the DS (semiconductor) union, which is currently leading negotiations.

They claim that, with negotiations focused on the semiconductor division, their own demands are not being adequately addressed, and they are in the process of filing an injunction to halt the talks. Some members have already begun raising funds for legal expenses, and specific legal procedures are reportedly underway.

If such an injunction is actually filed, the union will face multiple legal risks simultaneously, including the injunction filed by management to ban “illegal industrial action.” The possibility has also been raised that weakening internal unity could become a variable ahead of the strike.

Meanwhile, on May 14, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Junggwan urged both labor and management to resume talks promptly, warning that a strike could cause up to 100 trillion won in damages. He also stated that, if the general strike proceeds as planned on May 21, invoking emergency mediation measures would be unavoidable.

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