Samsung Electronics Union Demands: Will the Government Mediate Amidst Record Protests?

Translation result [Herald Business = Seo Sang-young, Reporter] Kim Yong-beom, the Blue House policy chief, said on the 23rd (local time) that he hopes labor and management will resolve the Samsung Electronics unions’ demand for higher performance-based pay through constructive dialogue.

At a press center set up in Hanoi for President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to Vietnam, Kim made the remark in response to a question about whether the government might intervene to mediate if the Samsung rally escalated into a strike.

When asked whether the president had been briefed, Kim said, “I reviewed the items reported at the meeting,” and added, “The president did not comment on it separately.”

He added, “We do not yet view this as a significant problem,” saying he expects the matter to be resolved because labor and management have not reached an impasse.

Earlier that afternoon, a joint action committee representing three Samsung Electronics unions held what it described as the largest rally in the company’s history. The unions estimate about 39,000 people participated — roughly one-third of Samsung Electronics’ approximately 120,000 employees.

On the recent death of a union member at a Cargo Truckers’ rally, Kim said he was monitoring the situation with concern and expressed relief that the Ministry of Employment and Labor is holding productive talks with those on the ground.