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🇰🇷 South Korea /Economy & Trade

Samsung Electronics Union Approves Wage Deal, But Internal Divisions Remain

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Samsung Electronics' labor union has approved a tentative agreement for the 2026 wage negotiation, averting a large-scale strike.
  • The approval rate was 73.7%, with a high voter turnout of 95.5% among union members.
  • Disagreements persist between different union factions, particularly regarding performance-based bonuses, leading to ongoing internal conflict.

Samsung Electronics' labor and management have reached a tentative agreement for the 2026 wage negotiations, with the union narrowly approving the deal. This outcome averts a major strike that had threatened to disrupt South Korea's economy.

The tentative agreement passed with a 73.7% approval rate in a vote among union members. Out of 65,593 eligible voters, 62,616 participated, with 46,412 voting in favor. The joint negotiation group, comprising the Federation of Samsung Labor Unions (FSLU) and the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), saw a significant split in voting patterns.

The FSLU, which has a larger membership base in the semiconductor division, approved the agreement with an 80.6% positive vote. However, the NSEU, with a substantial number of members in the DX (Device eXperience) division and non-memory semiconductor business, recorded a much lower approval rate of 21.1%. Despite this lower figure, the NSEU's smaller membership meant it did not significantly impact the overall decision to pass the agreement.

I believe many people must have felt a sense of alienation, deprivation, and disappointment with the company due to the wage negotiation process and its results.

· Roh Tae-moonPresident and Head of the DX Division, acknowledging employee sentiment following the wage agreement.

Adding to the internal discord, the Samsung Electronics Union Together (SEUT), a third union representing primarily DX division employees, has voiced strong opposition. The SEUT filed an injunction to halt the voting process and plans to pursue a lawsuit to nullify the results, citing procedural concerns.

In response to the complex outcome and the feelings of division among employees, Roh Tae-moon, President and Head of the DX Division, issued a company-wide message. He acknowledged that the wage negotiation process and its results may have caused feelings of alienation, deprivation, and disappointment among many employees. Roh expressed regret and a sense of responsibility, pledging to focus on restoring the DX division's competitiveness and driving future growth.

As the head of the DX division, I feel regret and responsibility.

· Roh Tae-moonPresident and Head of the DX Division, expressing his commitment to the division's recovery.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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