The Samsung Biologics labor union's planned full-scale strike set to begin on October 26 has been halted by a court ruling. The court expanded the restrictions on strike actions from three production processes to nine, making it likely that the union's plans will face significant challenges.
According to Yonhap News on October 16, the Incheon branch of the Seoul High Court, led by Judge Kwon Soon-min, upheld Samsung Biologics' request for a temporary injunction against the union's strike actions, extending the restrictions to nine production processes.
Previously, the first ruling had only accepted the injunction for three processes: concentrated and buffer exchange, bulk filling, and related buffer manufacturing and supply. However, the appellate court broadened the scope to include six additional processes.
The court determined that the union must maintain the same workforce, operating hours, and scale of operations for the nine processes and must not interfere with these duties. It also specified that union members should not be encouraged to engage in such actions.
The court acknowledged the imposition of indirect penalties for violations of the strike restrictions. It accepted part of the company's request for a fine of 100 million won per violation, reducing it to 20 million won per incident. However, work on newly developed cell lines during the strike period was excluded from the restrictions.
Samsung Biologics stated in a press release that the court ruled that the entire production process is essential for preventing the deterioration or spoilage of raw materials and products, thus normal operations must continue during the strike period.
In response to this decision, the union is proceeding with procedures to contest the ruling while also planning to reassess its full-scale strike scheduled for three weeks starting October 26.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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