SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - A union representing workers in Samsung Electronics' Device eXperience (DX) division has elected a new chairman, with its incoming leadership set to push for joint wage bargaining with the company's Device Solutions (DS) division.
Son Yong-ho was elected chairman of the Samsung Electronics Donghaeng Union, receiving 9,777 votes, or 54.2 percent of ballots cast, the union said Monday. Ahn Young-deuk was elected senior vice chairman. Voter turnout reached 62.1 percent in the weeklong election that ended Monday morning.
The union, whose membership is concentrated in Samsung's Device eXperience division, plans to launch a task force for upcoming wage and collective bargaining negotiations and seek a framework allowing DX workers to negotiate alongside employees in the Device Solutions division.
The push comes as the company's unions remain divided over how future bargaining should be structured. The Samsung Group Super-Enterprise Union's Samsung Electronics branch, whose membership is concentrated in the DS division, said in August it did not plan to form a joint bargaining group next year and suggested the DX-focused union pursue separate bargaining instead.
The Donghaeng Union has also been staging protests near Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong's residence since Sept. 18, seeking direct talks over wages and what it says is a widening compensation gap between DX and DS workers.
The union had 30,935 members as of Sunday, representing about 63 percent of Samsung's DX workforce.
AJP Takeaways
- Son Yong-ho was elected chairman of Samsung Electronics' DX-focused Donghaeng Union with 54.2 percent of the vote.
- The union plans to push for joint wage bargaining between the DX and DS divisions, while the DS-focused union has called for separate negotiations.
- Donghaeng Union membership has reached 30,935, or about 63 percent of Samsung's DX workforce, as disputes over compensation between the two divisions continue.
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