SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics’ largest labor union has voted overwhelmingly to restrict membership to employees in its semiconductor division, effectively splitting the organization along the company’s chip and consumer-electronics businesses after months of disputes over performance bonuses and bargaining strategy.
The Samsung Electronics chapter of the Samsung Group United Union said Saturday that 27,618 of 28,680 members who voted, or 96.3 percent, approved a rule change limiting membership to employees of the Device Solutions, or DS, division, which oversees the company’s semiconductor operations. Turnout was 55.9 percent among 51,350 eligible voters.
The change means employees in the Device eXperience, or DX, division, which includes Samsung’s smartphones, televisions and home appliances businesses, are expected to leave the union. The organization had previously represented workers from both divisions.
Members also approved no-confidence motions against two DX-affiliated union officials. Vice Chairwoman Lee Song-yi’s removal received 95.7 percent support, while 96.2 percent backed the removal of Gwangju branch chief Lee Won-il. The union had accused the two of leaking information about transactions between union Chairman Choi Seung-ho and a company run by his father-in-law and of discussing efforts to remove Choi to prevent the DS-centered restructuring.
The split follows months of internal friction stemming from Samsung’s 2026 wage negotiations. A deal approved by union members in May introduced a special performance bonus for semiconductor employees funded with 10.5 percent of the DS division’s business performance, while employees in the DX division stood to receive far less under the compensation structure. The agreement passed with 73.7 percent support and headed off a planned strike.
The dispute subsequently widened into a disagreement over how Samsung’s unions should bargain with management. In August, the union said it would not form a joint bargaining group for the 2027 negotiations and would instead prepare demands focused on working conditions in the DS division.
“Given the differences in business performance and working conditions between divisions, demands for the 2027 negotiations will inevitably have to reflect the circumstances of each division,” the union said at the time.
AJP Takeaways
- Samsung Electronics’ largest union voted 96.3 percent to limit membership to semiconductor workers.
- The restructuring follows months of conflict over sharply different performance bonuses for DS and DX employees.
- The union plans to pursue DS-focused bargaining rather than joint negotiations in 2027.
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