Samsung Display’s labor and management signed a collective agreement for the first time as a Samsung Electronics affiliate. While it is said that the change to’New Samsung’ has begun, negotiations with other Samsung affiliates excluding Samsung Display are in stalemate.
Samsung Display’s labor and management signed a collective agreement at Samsung Display’s Asan Campus 1 on the afternoon of the 14th. From the management side, Kim Beom-dong (Vice President), and from the union side, Kim Jeong-ran and Lee Chang-wan, co-chair of Samsung Display’s union, attended. Labor and management came up with an interim agreement on the 22nd of last month after over seven months of labor after the first negotiations on May 26th last year. The final draft contained 109 articles, including the contents of guaranteeing union activities, including the recognition of exemption from working hours (time-off) of 9,000 hours per year. The union demanded a reorganization of the personnel system and wage system, including the abolition of low-level examinations, but was not included in the agreement.
Although a single agreement has been signed, wage negotiations are expected to be difficult. The union is in a position that it should conclude a wage agreement before March when the new annual salary contract is made. An official from the union said, “When the management indices and other data were requested, the management consistently responded with’no data’ and’don’t know’, and has been showing a dismissal from before the start of negotiations.” At the time when labor and management was about to sign a collective bargaining agreement, the labor-management council recently announced that “we will form a wage-related TF and negotiate” through an internal e-mail, causing controversy.
In the case of Samsung Electronics, which is negotiating for a collective bargaining agreement by forming a joint bargaining group of four unions, there is no progress in negotiations. Although negotiations were held six times until the 12th, the tug-of-war between labor and management continues. It is reported that the management came up with a proposal at the level of stipulating employment rules and labor-related laws. Jin Yoon-seok, chairman of the Samsung Electronics Labor Union, said, “The company is consistent with bargaining with a passive attitude.”
The Samsung SDI Ulsan union also lacked support. Although negotiations have been conducted 10 times since September of last year, the conflict is amplifying as the management is consistent with the attitude that it cannot accept the request to provide the in-house union office. A union official said, “The Samsung Compliance Committee Chairman Kim Ji-hyung told the media that’a union office was established in Samsung, and there was a change in which the union chairman and the company president met to share a chat and conclude a collective agreement.’ It was a job,” he criticized, saying, “The management is negotiating for the purpose of making a show ahead of the date of vice chairman Lee Jae-yong’s appointment, and is doing a show while dragging time.”
The labor world is wearing the skin that looks like Samsung is talking to the union, but the actual movements are unchanged from the past. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who promised to abolish non-union management, is criticized that it only promotes the appearance of sincere bargaining, and there is no progress. The six unions of the Korea Federation of Trade Unions, the Samsung Group Union Union, are planning to unify their higher-level organizations into the metallurgical labor union and take a systematic response to the Samsung Group.
Reporters Miyoung Kim and Goeun Eo