Samsung Electronics union announces collective action

[Photo by Lee Chung-woo]

The National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (NSEU) announced its plans for collective action and urged members to take annual leave on June 7TH, 2024, and industry observers are waiting to see if union members will participate in the action.

Samsung‘s largest union announced the move and criticized management during a press conference in front of the Samsung Electronics Seocho office building in southern Seoul on Wednesday, saying, “All of the responsibility lies with the company for ignoring the union. We hereby declare an immediate strike.”

Rather than calling a general strike, however, the NSEU decided to use annual leave and other alternative methods of collective action as directed by union leaders, starting with leave on June 7th.

June 7 falls between Memorial Day and the weekend, creating a holiday gap. Because the company encouraged workers to use annual leave on that day, some are questioning the actual impact of the action.

The NSEU has been negotiating with management have been ongoing since January 2024, but the two parties failed to resolve their differences. As a result, the union won the right to strike following a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision to suspend mediation and a vote by union members. Rallies were also held at company facilities and offices.

[Photo by Lee Chung-woo]

The strike declaration came a day after the company’s annual wage negotiations broke down, with the union and management clashing over the participation of two members of management during the talks on Tuesday. The NSEU demanded that the duo be excluded from the negotiations, a request that was not accepted. Other reports indicate that a senior NSEU member‘s shouting and abusive remarks prompted management to walk out.

Key issues include the rate of wage increases and performance-based pay methods. NSEU is demanding an average wage increase of 6.5 percent, while management set it at 5.1 percent via the union-independent Labor-Management Council. The NSEU rejects this proposal.

Although the NSEU is affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), it has received support from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in recent rallies, raising suspicions that it could switch affiliation to the KCTU following the breakdown in negotiations.

The NSEU is also in conflict with a newly formed inter-company union of young workers at Samsung companies. This cross-company union has expressed support for the strike to improve working conditions while raising questions about whether the move’s actual purpose is to join the KCTU.

The NSEU also faces allegations that it pressured a candidate to withdraw from a recent works council election in exchange for promises of future support.