An integrated labor union comprising 15,800 workers from four Samsung Group affiliates was officially launched on Feb.19. The union vowed to focus solely on improving the working conditions of the workers, excluding any political colors. After Samsung’s ban on labor unions was lifted in 2020 by CEO Lee Jae-yong in 2010, there has been a trend of increasing union activities within Samsung, both in terms of scope and scale. Some express concerns over looming union risk.
Samsung Group United Union, comprising 15,800 members from Samsung Electronics’ Device Experience division, Samsung Display, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, and Samsung Biologics, held an inauguration event earlier in the day in Seoul. If Samsung Electro-Mechanics Respect Union, which has expressed the intention to join, becomes part of the union around May, it will bring its total membership to 17,900. The company’s biggest single labor union is the National Samsung Electronic Union, which has 17,000 members. Unions are divided into ‘enterprise labor union’ or ‘integrated labor union’ depending on the limit to the amount of companies; Joint union does not restrict their scope to a specific company.
“We aim to break free from the current irrational labor-company relationship, companies are unanimously controlled by the group or task force (TF) team without taking market condition, workforce structure, and business profits of each affiliate into consideration,” the new labor union said at the inauguration ceremony. Hong Gwang-heum, the chairman of the union, stated, “Wages have been controlled by the same guidelines without reflecting each company’s actual conditions,” and demanded separate negotiations. Samsung Display, for instance, posted record-high earnings but did not get proper incentives due to a single group guideline centered on Samsung Electronics.
“We vow to exclude any political bias and solely focus all its capabilities on the economic interests, a work-life balance, and healthy working conditions of the workers,” said the unified union.” According to the Union chief, the union has no intention of engaging in a boycott or causing harm to the company they are affiliated with - unlike other past unions. Hong said, “We can live well only if the company strives. Our top priority is gaining empathy and support from the workers.”
