"Union Chair Receives 10 Million Won a Month in Allowances" ... Samsung Electronics' Enterprise-Level Union Representation 'Shaken' [Samsung Electronics Strike D-3]

As the general strike announced by Samsung Electronics' labor union is now just four days away, the representation of the company's largest union, the enterprise-level labor union, is being tested by a mass exodus of members from the Device eXperience Division (DX Division), which covers home appliances and mobile phones. Dissatisfaction is spreading as the wage negotiations are being conducted mainly around the Device Solutions Division, and DX Division members continue to leave. If about 3,000 more members resign, the union's majority representation and its future bargaining leverage could be significantly affected.
■ If 3,000 more members leave, majority status will be lost
According to industry sources on the 17th, the number of resignation requests from members of the DX Division has recently surged at the Samsung Electronics Union, the company's largest labor union. The number of people who have applied to leave is estimated at about 4,000 so far. That is roughly half of the DX Division's total membership within the enterprise-level labor union, estimated at around 8,500 to 9,000. Daily resignation requests, which exceeded 500 on the 28th of last month, rose above 1,000 on the 29th, showing a sharp increase.
The mass departure of DX Division members could lead to the enterprise-level labor union losing its majority status. As of 8 a.m. that day, the union had 71,625 members. To retain majority union status, it must keep membership at around 64,000, or half of all employees. If the currently requested 4,000 resignations are finalized, membership would fall sharply to the 67,000 range. If another 3,000 members leave, the majority could be broken.
Some observers say the impact of DX Division members leaving on the strike's immediate execution may be limited, since the strike is being driven mainly by the Device Solutions Division. However, if the union's majority status is shaken, its future bargaining leverage with management and its legal legitimacy could weaken significantly. In particular, it could lose the legal worker representative status it obtained from the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 15th of last month, and its leadership in the process of consolidating bargaining channels with multiple unions at Samsung Electronics next year would likely diminish.
■ 'A half-finished union' ... Why the rush to leave?
Among DX Division members, there is growing frustration and a sense of relative deprivation, as the wage negotiations and strike discussions are effectively being led by the Device Solutions Division, leaving the views of the home appliance business division insufficiently reflected. On the 15th, some DX Division members began action to seek an injunction requesting the signing of a wage agreement and a ban on the strike, arguing that the current union no longer properly represents them.
There is also rising internal criticism over the fact that 5% of union dues are set aside as position allowances for executive members, with Choi Seung-ho, the union chair, reportedly receiving as much as 10 million won a month. Concerns are also mounting over the lack of internal checks and balances within the union.
As resignation requests have recently flooded in all at once, complaints are also emerging about delays in processing them. On internal bulletin boards, some reportedly claimed that the union was intentionally slowing down the resignations to preserve strike momentum. The union, however, explained that the delay was simply due to a sudden increase in administrative workload.
Meanwhile, the union is scheduled to resume negotiations with management on the 18th, but support among members backing the strike still appears strong. According to industry sources, more than 40,000 people have recently set their nicknames in Samsung Electronics' internal messenger to phrases related to the general strike.