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[Herald Economy=Reporter Yoon Sunghyun] The LG Uplus labor union sharply criticized remarks by the chairman of the Samsung Electronics union and demanded an official apology after he suggested the president’s comment about “excessive demands” was directed at LG Uplus rather than the Samsung union.
On May 1, the Minju Uplus branch of the Public Transport Union issued a statement saying it felt deep regret and anger that the Samsung union chairman, in comments to the media and on member forums, implied the president’s “excessive demands” remark referred to LG Uplus instead of his own union.
The LG Uplus union said its call to set aside 30% of operating profit for performance bonuses is the product of six years of sustained struggle. It added that dismissing this as a sudden “excessive” demand—apparently to align with recent government sentiment—seriously undermines the legitimacy of their campaign.
The union criticized attempts to shift blame without confirming facts, saying such behavior weakens labor solidarity. Characterizing another union’s legitimate demands as unacceptable to deflect public criticism—and effectively throwing them to the wolves—is a cowardly tactic.
The union emphasized, “Workers are not the enemy of other workers.”
It warned that demonizing fellow unions’ demands, at a time when the president’s remarks are perceived as pressure on the entire labor movement, only plays into the intra-labor conflict frame that capital and political power seek to impose.
“Proving your own reasonableness by denigrating another’s desperation is not genuine labor activism,” the statement said.
LG Uplus demanded an official apology from the Samsung union, urging it to immediately stop distorting other companies’ labor struggles and using them as a defensive tactic.
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