Samsung Heavy Industries now has labor union for field employees

The Samsung Heavy Industries Labor Union, which established a labor union consisting of field workers in about 50 years since its foundation in 1974, holds a press conference at the briefing room of Geoje City Hall in South Gyeongsang Province on July 13. to announce its official launch. [Photo by Yonhap]

The first on-site labor union of Samsung Heavy Industries Co. was launched on Thursday, heralding changes in favor of field employees.

Samsung Heavy Industries Labor Union held a launching ceremony to represent field workers on Thursday after registration with Geoje City on July 4.

The shipyard’s field employees had been represented by a labor committee, which worked in favor of the employees in negotiations.

Under the current law, however, such committees are not legal labor unions that are entitled to the three basic labor rights under the Constitution - the right of association, collective bargaining, and collective action.

The Union intends to prioritize addressing the matter of unpaid furloughs.

According to the Labor Act, companies must compensate employees 70 percent of their average wages when they experience closures for any reason.

However, unpaid furloughs have been a longstanding practice in the shipbuilding industry, forcing workers to receive no wages during the period.

“As the company has forced field workers to leave the office with no pay, with plant closures in a rainy season when work gets slow, the field and contract workers face their average salary cut by half,” said an unnamed official from the union.

The union plans to join the Korean Metal Workers’ Union later this year.