How Could the Leadership Do This... Samsung Employees Say "We Want to Leave the Union"

Union Membership Falls Below 30,000

As of 10 a.m. on July 3: 29,944 members
One year after the general strike in July last year

Impact of Leadership's 'Backroom Deal' Controversy During Wage Negotiations
Transition to Emergency Committee System... Maintains Status as Main Bargaining Representative
Leadership Election Likely to Be Moved Up... Focus on Reorganization

The number of members in the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (NSELU), the largest union within Samsung Electronics, has dropped below 30,000. This is believed to be due to instability within the union, such as the current leadership vacancy and the decrease in union membership. Observers point out that if this trend continues, the union could lose momentum in the wage negotiations scheduled for the second half of this year, making organizational restructuring an urgent matter.

NSELU Membership Soared to 36,000... Plummeted by 6,000 in Four Months

According to industry sources on July 3, as of 10 a.m. that day, the number of NSELU members stood at 29,944. After surpassing 30,000 following the general strike in July last year, membership fell below 30,000 for the first time in about a year.

Higher Wage Increase Rate, Fulfillment of Paid Leave Promises, etc.

In July last year, the largest union of Samsung Electronics, the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union, declared a three-day general strike. Union members are shouting slogans at the general strike rally held in front of the main gate of Samsung Electronics Hwaseong Plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Joined in Support of Union Power, but Disappointed...

Last year, members of the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union held a rally for victory in the general strike at the Semicon Sporex of Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

NSELU rapidly increased its membership in early July last year by launching the first general strike since the company's founding in 1967, citing demands such as a higher wage increase rate, fulfillment of paid leave promises, and improvements to the criteria for the Outperformance Incentive (OPI).

Backroom Deal Controversy in Wage Negotiations... Uncertainty for Second Half Talks

However, after the union and management reached the 2025 wage and collective agreement in March this year, which included an average wage increase rate of 5.1% (3.0% base increase and 2.1% performance increase), controversy arose over a backroom deal between the management and the union leadership. It was revealed that, after the agreement was signed, the leadership had made a separate deal with management to set a higher performance increase rate for the executive committee, leading to internal strife within the union.

Only the Leadership Gets a Higher Performance Increase... Does This Make Sense?

How Could the Leadership Do This... Samsung Employees Say "We Want to Leave the Union"

Membership, which was in the 36,000 range as recently as March, has dropped by more than 6,000 in just four months. The third-term executive committee, taking responsibility, resigned en masse with about nine months left in their term, and NSELU transitioned to an emergency committee system. Nevertheless, NSELU is expected to maintain its status as the main bargaining representative, as it remains the largest union, accounting for 23% of all Samsung Electronics employees (approximately 125,000 in total).

Accordingly, the union is expected to move quickly to fill the leadership vacancy and stabilize its internal structure. The election for the fourth-term leadership, originally scheduled for September, is now expected to be held as early as July or August.