According to the biopharmaceutical company, its workers decided on Sunday to withdraw from the wider union grouping all Samsung employees to form their own independent union, following a five-day vote that began last Wednesday.
Of the 4,005 eligible union members, 2,479 participated, with some 2,392 or 96.5 percent voting in favor.
"There was a strong need to switch to an independent union to more directly and swiftly reflect our demands," it said.
The decision comes as employees at Samsung Biologics have staged a series of partial and full strikes since last April, calling for higher wages and improved working conditions, which have caused some disruptions to production lines.
The move appears to reflect widening dissatisfaction among unionized Samsung workers across affiliates, as tensions have reportedly intensified following a wage settlement that saw hefty bonuses heavily concentrated in the semiconductor division after the chip giant posted record profits driven by artificial intelligence (AI)-led demand.
The umbrella union, launched in February 2024 and believed to have around 73,000 members, has reportedly lost its majority status as of early June as members from non-chip affiliates have left.
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