Samsung Electronics Union Conflict Escalates... Signs of Legal Dispute Ahead of Total Strike

Donghaeng Union: "Exclusion of the Union's Very Existence"

70% of Members from the DX Division

Legal Action Threatened over Discrimination

With two weeks remaining before the total strike announced by the Samsung Electronics labor union, conflict among the unions is intensifying as Donghaeng, the Samsung Electronics Labor Union for Solidarity (hereafter referred to as the Donghaeng Union), which recently withdrew from the Joint Struggle Headquarters, is demanding the sharing of bargaining information and an end to discrimination. This conflict has arisen because the joint bargaining group is said to be demanding performance-based bonuses primarily for the semiconductor division, which has recently posted strong results, while ignoring the opinions of union members from the home appliance and TV divisions.

According to industry sources on May 7, the Donghaeng Union, which broke away from the Samsung Electronics Union Joint Bargaining Team the previous day, sent an official letter to the joint bargaining group, which includes the Samsung Electronics Branch of the Samsung Super-Enterprise Labor Union (Super-Enterprise Union) and the Samsung Electronics National Union (SEUN), calling for "a commitment to fair representation, including information sharing in negotiations and a ban on discriminatory practices." The Donghaeng Union demanded: ▲ sharing of detailed progress in negotiations with management ▲ full disclosure of proposals from management and union counterproposals ▲ collection of union members' opinions ▲ sharing of future bargaining schedules and major issues ▲ an official apology from the Super-Enterprise Union and an end to disparaging remarks.

The Donghaeng Union, which has over 2,300 members, is composed of about 70% of employees in the Device eXperience (DX) division, which is responsible for businesses such as home appliances, smartphones, and TVs. Previously, when the Samsung Electronics union demanded performance-based bonuses focused on the semiconductor Device Solution (DS) division and raised union dues, many DX members left the Super-Enterprise Union. As a result, the number of Super-Enterprise Union members dropped from over 76,000 to around 73,000. There are also signs of efforts to establish a new union centered on DX division employees.

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 it had formed together with the Super-Enterprise Union and SEUN, on May 4, claiming that the negotiations were prioritizing the semiconductor division. However, the Donghaeng Union explained that the end of its participation in the joint bargaining group does not exempt it from the legal obligation of fair representation as the negotiating representative union under labor law.

The Donghaeng Union stated that the Super-Enterprise Union abused its authority as the majority union to ignore and exclude Donghaeng Union's opinions, and engaged in derogatory remarks (referring to Donghaeng as a "company union"), which constitute defamation under Article 311 of the Criminal Act. The Donghaeng Union argued, "This is more than just inter-union conflict; it is an attempt to exclude and deny the very existence of our union." The union added, "If, after receiving the official letter, there is continued refusal to share negotiation information or updates without reasonable cause, or if there are continued remarks or disparagements that disadvantage our union members, we will file a correction petition with the Labor Relations Commission and take all possible civil and criminal legal actions, as well as strong countermeasures." The Donghaeng Union demanded official responses from both unions by noon on May 8.

The Super-Enterprise Union stated that it planned to deliver its response to the Donghaeng Union by official letter on this day. Choi Seungho, head of the Super-Enterprise Union, said, "When we first decided to negotiate last year, the Donghaeng Union participated as well, and the abolition of the cap on performance-based bonuses benefits not only the DS division but also the DX division." He added, "The current demand is to immediately distribute the performance difference because the gap has become too large, but that is something DS division union members will find hard to accept."

As the union's total strike, scheduled for 18 days starting from May 21, approaches, interest is rising 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 the morning of May 7, stating, "A full-scale production stoppage and strike must be withdrawn for the survival of both the nation and the company." They emphasized, "The announcement of production suspension and the unreasonable demand for exclusive bonuses, led by the Joint Struggle Headquarters, are seriously threatening the foundation of the national economy."

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