"Samsung Electronics Union Membership Rate Surpasses 50%," Union Claims
For the first time in history, the combined membership of Samsung Electronics' labor unions-including the Super Enterprise Labor Union and the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union-has surpassed half of the company's total workforce.
A union that secures more than half of all employees as members gains a stronger legal position to negotiate with management on wages and other issues. As a result, attention is focused on whether the union will be recognized as the official representative in next year's wage negotiations.
On November 4, the Samsung Electronics branch of the Super Enterprise Labor Union announced that it had achieved a majority in terms of membership. Currently, there are five unions active within Samsung Electronics. As of noon on this day, the combined membership of the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (25,709 members), the Samsung Electronics Companion Union (2,072 members), and the Super Enterprise Labor Union (34,781 members) totaled 62,562, which the Super Enterprise Labor Union claims constitutes a majority.
The Super Enterprise Labor Union stated, "We have achieved a numerical majority," and added, "We plan to send an official letter to management to confirm the number of majority union members and to address the status of employee representation."
The union, now holding a numerical majority, is expected to become more active starting from the wage negotiations scheduled for December 1. In the worst-case scenario, the possibility of a strike cannot be ruled out. Previously, in July of last year, Samsung Electronics experienced its first-ever general strike since its founding.
Even after the first union was established at Samsung Electronics in 2018, there was no majority union to represent employees, so wage negotiations were conducted separately. Currently, Samsung Electronics operates under a multiple-union system, and in October of last year, the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union, which was then the largest, regained its exclusive bargaining rights through the unification of negotiation channels.
Earlier last month, the Samsung Electronics branch of the Super Enterprise Labor Union announced that it had overtaken the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union to become the largest union. At the time, Choi Seungho, head of public relations for the Super Enterprise Labor Union, explained, "A recent surge in membership was driven by dissatisfaction over working conditions compared to rival companies."
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