First Labor-management Negotiation at Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics' labor and management are expected to start negotiations on collective bargaining after the Chuseok holiday. This will mark the first labor-management negotiation at Samsung Electronics since the company’s executive vice chairman Lee Jae-yong declared the abolition of Samsung Group's long-lasting no-union policy in May.
Recently, the four labor unions at Samsung Electronics formed a negotiation delegation and officially requested the management to kick off negotiations on collective bargaining in mid-October.
The negotiation delegation will be composed of 10 members, including one each from the first, second and third labor unions and seven from the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (the fourth one) affiliated with the Federation of Korean metalworkers' Union, which is under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. However, the composition of the delegation is subject to change during the negotiation process.
"We will no longer stick to the no-union policy at Samsung," vice chairman Lee said in a press conference in May. "We will thoroughly honor labor laws and guarantee the three basic rights of workers."