Samsung Electronics Union Holds No-Confidence Vote Against Executive Committee... Member Dissatisfaction Persists

From the 29th of this month to the 6th of next month

The tentative two-year wage negotiation agreement prepared by Samsung Electronics labor and management was rejected in a union member vote, and the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (Jeonsamno) will hold a no-confidence vote against the executive committee from the 29th of this month to the 6th of next month.

Jeonsamno announced this on the union's website on the 22nd. According to regulations, if the executive committee receives more than two-thirds (66.6%) of no-confidence votes from union members in the no-confidence vote, they must step down. However, the executive committee has decided to resign entirely if the no-confidence vote exceeds 50%. Conversely, if confidence exceeds 50%, the current executive committee will continue its existing duties and continue negotiations with management. If the voter turnout does not exceed 50%, the vote will be extended.

A union official said, "Despite taking the strong measure of a strike, there is still dissatisfaction among union members with the agreement reflecting management's existing position, such as a 5.1% wage increase."

The previous day, Jeonsamno announced that 58.63% (13,485 people) voted against the '2023-2024 Wage Agreement Tentative Agreement,' while only 9,514 people (41.37%) voted in favor. The vote saw participation from 22,999 people (74.8%, including additional votes from those initially missed) out of 30,765 eligible voters.

The tentative agreement reached on the 14th included ▲a 5.1% wage increase (3.0% base increase rate and 2.1% performance increase rate) ▲2 million points of 'Samsung Family Net' to be given to all employees for purchasing company products ▲guaranteed paid union activity time for members (4 hours twice a year) ▲improvements to long-term service leave, among other provisions.

The 5.1% average wage increase reflects management's position, while the 2 million points of 'Samsung Family Net' payment reflects the union's position. It is known that management maintained an unnegotiable stance on the '5.1% average wage increase' during the third post-adjustment meeting of the Central Labor Relations Commission at the end of June. Jeonsamno initially demanded an average wage increase of 6.5%, then declared a general strike in July while proposing a 5.6% increase. However, the tentative agreement settled at a lower level of 5.1%, which did not avoid backlash from union members. Regarding the 2 million points of 'Samsung Family Net,' although it reflected the union's demand, the request to limit it to union members was not accepted, and the agreement to provide it to all employees became a source of dissatisfaction.