"Only DS Was Considered": 4,000 Members Resign from Samsung's Largest Union in a Month... Majority Status 'at Risk'

Wave of Withdrawals Continues Ahead of General Strike
Union Members Move to File for Injunctions Over Resignations
Majority Status at Risk, Concerns Over “Half-Union” Emerge

With only four days left until the general strike announced by the Samsung Electronics labor union, a wave of resignations among union members in the finished goods (DX·Device eXperience) sector—including home appliances and mobile devices—continues. As internal conflicts within the union show signs of escalating into legal disputes, such as injunction filings, there are growing concerns that the momentum for the general strike may be weakening. If this trend of withdrawals continues, there is speculation that the union could lose its majority status.

According to industry sources on May 17, the Samsung Electronics Branch of the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union—the largest union in the company—is experiencing internal fissures as a surge of resignation requests from members in the DX sector pours in. The number of members who have applied to withdraw has already approached 4,000, which is nearly half of the total DX sector membership within the union, estimated at about 8,500 to 9,000.

These members are citing dissatisfaction that this year’s wage negotiations have been focused solely on the semiconductor (DS·Device Solutions) division, leading to the DX sector being neglected, and this has fueled the ongoing wave of withdrawals. In particular, as the union has delayed processing these resignations, complaints have mounted on internal bulletin boards, with some alleging that the delays are intentional to maintain momentum for the strike.

According to the union, administrative processing has been delayed due to the influx of approximately 4,000 resignation applications within the past month.

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

Some observers have raised concerns that the mass exodus of DX sector union members could result in the union losing its majority status. As of 10:00 a.m. on the 17th, the union’s membership stood at 71,625, close to the threshold of around 64,000 required to maintain a majority. If all 4,000 pending resignations are confirmed, the number of union members would fall to the 67,000 range.

If the wave of withdrawals continues, there is a possibility that the union could lose its majority status. Some believe that since the current strike is centered on the DS sector, the withdrawal of DX sector members will have only a limited immediate impact on the execution of the strike. However, there are concerns that if the union loses its majority status, its bargaining power and legal legitimacy in future negotiations with management could be significantly weakened.

In particular, the union could lose its legal status as the representative body of workers, which it obtained from the Ministry of Employment and Labor on April 15. In next year’s process of unifying bargaining channels among multiple unions within Samsung Electronics, its leadership could also be diminished. Analysts warn that the union’s influence could shrink to that of a “half-union” centered solely on the DS sector, excluding DX.

In fact, union members in the DX sector have begun filing for injunctions demanding a halt to negotiations, challenging the representativeness of the DS-centered majority union, which currently holds bargaining rights. They are currently raising funds for legal expenses and are expected to select a law firm and finalize specific demands soon.

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