Samsung Biologics’ labor union began its first full strike since the company’s founding, intensifying a standoff in which both sides are trading blame. The union says management is responsible and is urging talks, while the company is calling for restraint and warning of heavy losses.
Yonhap reported May 1 that the Samsung Biologics branch union will hold a five-day full strike from May 1 through May 5. Rather than a traditional walkout, members are participating by using annual leave. The union said about 2,800 of its roughly 4,000 members have indicated they will take part.
The Songdo plant area in Incheon appeared quieter than usual, with only some employees seen entering and leaving. Banners and flags reading “ONE TEAM ON STRIKE” were posted inside the facility. While essential staffing is being maintained due to the nature of biopharmaceutical production, overall operations appeared subdued.
The union said the dispute is rooted not in wages but in what it called management failures. It cited decisions that did not reflect conditions on the ground, chronic understaffing and excessive cost-cutting as factors that hurt competitiveness. The union said it sought negotiations for more than a month after mediation broke down, but the company focused on legal action and pressure instead of substantive talks.
“If the company is concerned about losses and damage to customer trust, it should not shift responsibility to employees but come to the negotiating table,” the union said, calling for an immediate resumption of bargaining.
The company has said a prolonged strike could result in losses of up to 6.4 trillion won. A previous partial strike in the material aliquoting unit disrupted production of 23 products, including anticancer drugs and HIV treatments, and was expected to cause about 1.5 trillion won in losses, according to the report.
Chief Executive John Rim issued an apology message to employees the previous day, saying a strike is an individual choice but could have impacts that would be difficult for both the company and its members to recover from. He urged careful judgment and said the company would continue dialogue with the union to rebuild trust.
The two sides have held more than 10 rounds of talks since late last year without reaching an agreement. The company sought a court injunction to ban strike action over concerns about production disruptions, and the court limited strikes only in some core processes.
Labor and management are scheduled to meet again May 4 to discuss the direction of negotiations, but with positions far apart, a quick compromise remains uncertain.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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