[Exclusive] Major Conglomerate Union Backs Lee Jae Myung... SK Group Union Makes First Declaration

33 Organizations Including SK Hynix and SK Innovation
All 33 Union Leaders Give Unprecedented Unanimous Consent

The SK Group Labor Union Council has become the first labor union within a major South Korean conglomerate to publicly declare support for a presidential candidate. The council announced its support for Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party candidate, who has put forth the realization of a "society that respects labor" as one of his top ten campaign pledges. This move is drawing attention to potential future actions within the labor sector.

On the 14th, the SK Group Labor Union Council declared support for presidential candidate Lee Jae Myung at the Democratic Party Central Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Provided by SK Group Labor Union Council

According to the SK Group Labor Union Council on May 14, the council held a press conference at 11 a.m. in the press room on the second floor of the Democratic Party Central Office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where they issued a statement declaring their support for Lee Jae Myung. The council is composed of 33 organizations, including the SK Shipping Union, SK Innovation Union, SK Hynix Icheon Union, and SK Telecom Union. The decision to support Lee was reached with unanimous agreement from all the representatives of these organizations. While the council has previously gathered the opinions of union leaders in support of certain candidates, this is the first time that all 33 organizations have agreed on a single candidate.

The council stated, "Candidate Lee Jae Myung has long listened to the voices on the ground and has proposed practical policies for a fair society that recognizes the value of labor. In particular, he has consistently suggested effective labor policies, such as creating a safe working environment based on respect for labor and reducing working hours. His ability to implement these policies has already been demonstrated during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province."

The council continued, "Over the past several years, the SK Group Labor Union Council has witnessed the reality of labor rights being eroded under the pretext of digital transformation and labor flexibility. We have stood at the forefront, not just to secure livelihoods, but to defend the dignity of labor." The council concluded, "All organizations within the SK Group Labor Union Council pledge to become partners in fulfilling his promise not to let labor be in vain. We declare our commitment to building a Republic of Korea where labor is respected."

There is also an assessment that this declaration was triggered by employment instability resulting from SK Group's rebalancing efforts, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and the sale of affiliates. Last month, related unions strongly opposed the news that SK Group was considering the sale of SK Siltron. Some interpret this as a political response to the rebalancing trend SK Group has been pursuing, as well as a signal of governance conflict between the company and the labor union. A council official stated, "There have been considerable governance issues within SK Group. In a situation where employment instability is constantly being created, we decided to support Lee Jae Myung because we believe he is the candidate who can realize labor policies."

However, an SK official commented, "The Labor Union Council is a voluntary gathering of union leaders from each affiliate and is not related to the company itself."

The SK Group Labor Union Council was established in January 2017. Unlike the unions of other groups such as Samsung and LG, it is a corporate body recognized as a council by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. While individual unions generally engage in collective bargaining with their respective companies, the council functions at the group level to respond jointly or express a unified position. In most other conglomerates, there are only unions for each affiliate, and there is no organization that unites the entire group.