Samsung Electronics labor and management agree to withdraw lawsuits over alleged 'union blacklist' and other claims

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[Financial News] Samsung Electronics and its labor union have agreed to withdraw criminal and civil complaints, including allegations that a 'blacklist' was compiled against employees who did not join the strike.
According to the industry on the 22nd, the two sides held a mediation meeting on the 20th and agreed to drop various criminal and civil cases, including complaints and accusations. They said the decision was intended to improve organizational culture and foster a healthier labor-management relationship.
On the 9th of last month, Samsung Electronics filed a complaint with police on charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act. The case involved allegations that some employees used other employees' personal information to create and distribute a so-called 'blacklist' containing details such as union membership.
On the 16th of the same month, the company filed an additional complaint after identifying an employee accused of collecting large amounts of employee personal data without authorization and passing it on to outside parties.
The Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, which is investigating the case, searched Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus on the 8th and carried out another search on the 18th.
However, even if management withdraws the complaints, the investigation is expected to continue because alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act are not subject to complaint-based prosecution or non-punishable-by-intent offenses.
Still, observers say the move could affect the course of the investigation, any possible prosecution by prosecutors, and court rulings to some extent, as the union has also suspended its strike and reached a tentative wage agreement, while the company has said it does not intend to seek punishment.
The two sides also agreed on how to determine the funding base for the Performance Incentive (OPI). For the Device Solutions Division, labor and management will decide together. For the Samsung Electronics DX Division, the decision will be made after a vote by employees in each business unit.
In the case of the Device Solutions Division, the OPI funding base was set as 'business performance selected by agreement between labor and management,' which in effect is directly linked to operating income. By contrast, the DX Division can choose between 10% of operating income or 20% of Economic Value Added (EVA), so the company decided to go through a vote by each business unit.
As part of a win-win arrangement, the company also decided that Samsung Electronics shares worth 6 million won per employee, which will be granted to the DX Division, may be sold immediately without any mandatory holding period, unlike the shares provided for special management performance bonuses in the Device Solutions Division.
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one1@fnnews.com Jung Won-il Reporter