Despite Lee Jae-myung's Warning, Samsung Electronics Union Dismisses It as "Not About Us"

\r\n[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung warned that "excessive demands by some unions end up harming other workers," but the Samsung Electronics union chief reportedly brushed off the remarks, saying they were aimed at unions at other companies, not Samsung Electronics.
According to industry sources on the 1st, Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the largest union at Samsung Electronics, the Samsung Electronics branch of the National Samsung Group Supra-Enterprise Labor Union, responded to a union member in an online union community who asked whether Lee's remarks were a warning to the Samsung Electronics union. Choi said, "He was talking about LG Uplus, which is demanding bonuses equal to 30% of operating profit," and added, "So it should be kept at a reasonable level like ours, at 15%." LG Uplus union members recently demanded bonuses equal to 30% of operating profit in this year's wage negotiations, while the Samsung Electronics union is asking for 15%, arguing that it is not among the "some unions" Lee referred to.
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If LG Uplus's demand for a 30% bonus were applied, the payout would amount to about 27 million won per person. That figure is based on last year's operating profit of 890 billion won divided among about 9,800 employees.
By contrast, Samsung Electronics' 15% demand would mean asking semiconductor division employees for 600 million to 700 million won per person. Although the percentage is higher at LG Uplus, the actual amounts are difficult to compare. Critics also say the union has not sufficiently taken into account the special nature of the semiconductor industry, which requires massive investment.
On the eve of Labor Day, Lee said, "If some organized workers make excessive and unfair demands just to save themselves and end up drawing public criticism, it will hurt not only that union but also other workers." Cheong Wa Dae's policy office is also preparing countermeasures for the strike, including a report analyzing its impact on the Korean economy.
\r\nPublic opinion is also generally negative toward the Samsung Electronics union. In a recent Realmeter poll, 69% of the public said the union's bonus demand and general strike were inappropriate. Respondents in their 60s were the most likely to say it was inappropriate, at 81.0%, followed by those in their 50s at 71.7%, those aged 70 and older at 70.5%, those in their 40s at 65.0%, those aged 18 to 29 at 62.6%, and those in their 30s at 62.4%. Reasons cited for opposing the strike included a decline in trust in Korea's semiconductor industry amid global supply chain disruptions, a chain reaction of financial strain among parts and equipment suppliers, and a slowdown in the domestic economy.
\r\nMeanwhile, the Samsung Electronics union sent a protest letter to Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan, who had urged restraint on the strike, saying it "warns against demonizing semiconductor industry workers."
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ehcho@fnnews.com Jo Eun-hyo Reporter