Samsung Electronics is moving to establish its seventh labor union, just nine days after the filing of the sixth union's establishment report earlier this month. Internal conflicts surrounding the restructuring of existing unions have led to the formation of new unions, intensifying competition among them ahead of next year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations.
According to industry sources on November 13, a report for the establishment of the 'Samsung Electronics Gwangju Labor Union' was submitted to the Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office. Lee Won-il, who previously served as the head of the Gwangju branch of the Samsung Electronics Super Union, is expected to lead the new union.
Lee, who comes from the Device Experience (DX) division of Samsung Electronics, was one of two executives expelled during the restructuring of the Super Union, which focused on the semiconductor business within the Device Solutions (DS) division.
The seventh union is set to operate primarily at the Gwangju facility, with plans to expand its organization as semiconductor clusters are established in the Honam region.
This month alone marks the second new union formation at Samsung Electronics. On November 4, the 'Samsung Electronics Union Shop Labor Union' submitted its establishment report as the sixth union. Both unions are reportedly emerging in response to the internal conflicts and restructuring of the existing Super Union.
Currently, five unions are active at Samsung Electronics: the Super Union (Union 5), the Donghaeng Union (Union 3), the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (Union 4), the Office Workers Union (Union 1), and the Gumi Network Union (Union 2). Among these, the Super Union is the largest, boasting 53,480 members as of today.
The establishment of multiple unions has drawn attention to next year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations. In a multi-union system, a representative union must be designated to negotiate with management, requiring a process to unify negotiation channels. The union that secures a majority of the total members among participating unions will take on the role of the negotiating representative. If no union holds a majority, a joint negotiating representative group will be formed. The scale of membership secured by the new unions could alter the negotiation dynamics.
Existing unions have expressed concerns over the ongoing establishment of new unions. The Donghaeng Union, centered around the DX division, issued a statement today expressing regret that the internal conflicts and divisions within the Super Union are overshadowing the improvement of workers' rights, leading to the continuous formation of new labor unions.
They emphasized, "We want to question what benefit the continuous increase of new labor unions brings to the 120,000 employees at Samsung Electronics," adding, "What is needed now is not a wasteful conflict among labor unions, but a resolution to the issue of exclusion from the DX in the 2026 wage negotiations, and a negotiation system that fairly reflects the voices of all divisions in 2027."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.