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Samsung Electronics and its labor unions are entering post-adjustment wage talks amid escalating infighting. Negotiations focused on performance bonuses in the Device Solutions (DS) division have left members of the Device Experience (DX) division feeling sidelined, and signs of strain are emerging within the joint bargaining framework.
To date, wage negotiations have been conducted by a joint bargaining team composed of the Companywide Union’s Samsung Electronics branch (hereafter the Companywide Union), the National Samsung Electronics Union (Jeonsamno), and the Samsung Electronics Donghaeng Union (Donghaeng Union). Donghaeng Union already withdrew from the joint team after requesting separate talks, and criticism of the Companywide Union’s bargaining approach has spread within Jeonsamno, with some members urging the return of delegated bargaining authority.
Union sources at Samsung Electronics said on the 9th that internal disputes among in-house unions intensified during recent discussions over items for post-adjustment. Within Jeonsamno, growing frustration centers on the Companywide Union’s DS-centric negotiating stance, which members say has failed to adequately reflect DX concerns.
About 80% of the Companywide Union’s members, including Chair Choi Seung-ho, belong to the DS division. DX members argue the union, resting on its majority status, has focused on expanding DS bonuses while neglecting the demands of DX employees.
On internal company forums and in KakaoTalk group chats, employees have posted reactions such as “DX was excluded again,” “No one among the post-adjustment negotiators represents DX,” and “Shouldn’t Jeonsamno resume negotiations on behalf of DX?” Some DX members are calling for a reallocation of bargaining rights, asking, “Jeonsamno was originally the lead bargaining union—why must negotiations remain centered on the Companywide Union?”
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Jeonsamno also sent a formal letter to the Companywide Union on the 7th demanding an official apology for remarks by Chair Choi Seung-ho that suggested excluding negotiators. The letter protested strongly, saying those comments effectively erased the voices of DX division members from the bargaining table.
The third major union, Donghaeng (SECU), withdrew from the joint bargaining team on the 4th. In a letter to the Companywide Union and Jeonsamno, Donghaeng said it had received no response to requests for agenda items to protect the rights of all members, nor any willingness to consult, and therefore was ending the joint bargaining arrangement. Donghaeng also accused others of ongoing attacks and denigration.
If Jeonsamno moves to reclaim its bargaining rights as well, observers warn the joint bargaining system among Samsung unions could effectively collapse.
There are also reports that DX members are preparing to withdraw from their unions. Some say they plan to leave, accusing the unions of advancing only DS interests. Many DX employees complain that while unions push to expand DS bonuses, they offer relatively little for DX staff who have faced weak performance.
Business leaders warn the dispute could escalate beyond routine union-on-union friction into a broader debate over union legitimacy and identity. A business official said, “If a union represents only one business unit’s interests and ignores others, it becomes more like a sectional interest group than a labor union.” Observers add that deepening rifts between divisions could even threaten the majority-union system itself.
Meanwhile, Chair Choi Seung-ho drew criticism inside and outside the labor movement for remarks in a recent interview that appeared to demean subcontractor employees. Asked whether gains should be shared with subcontractors, Choi replied that full-time employees have more education and were hired under different conditions, and added that subcontractor unions, if they wish, can request direct talks with the principal contractor. Some labor activists say those comments undermined worker solidarity.
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