The First Accord Among Samsung's Electronics Subsidiaries
The union and the management of Samsung Display are planning to sign a collective agreement on Jan. 14. Then, the agreement will become the first collective agreement in the five electronics subsidiaries of Samsung Group, i.e. Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Samsung SDS.
The union was organized in February 2020 as a part of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. Samsung Group abolished its no-union policy in May 2020, and then the two sides initiated their negotiations for the collective agreement. They reached a tentative agreement last month and finalized the details of the agreement more recently.
The collective agreement contains 109 provisions in total. Those include protected union activities such as a time-off of 9,000 hours a year for the union with about 1,500 members. The same negotiations are currently underway in Samsung Electronics.
The two former chairmen of Samsung Group adhered to the no-union policy. In that period, some executives and staff members had to face prison sentences for union suppression. Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong apologized and officially abolished it in May last year.