New DX-Focused Union Chair Elected at Samsung Electronics; Joint Bargaining with DS Division to Begin in Earnest

[Financial News] Samsung Electronics Labor Union Donghaeng (Donghaeng Union), a labor union centered on the DX Division responsible for finished products such as home appliances, smartphones and TVs, has elected candidate Son Yong-ho as its new chair. 
The incoming leadership is expected to pursue joint bargaining with the Device Solutions Division (DS Division), which oversees Samsung Electronics' semiconductor business, ahead of next year's wage negotiations. 
According to industry sources on the 28th, the Son Yong-ho–An Yeong-deuk ticket won 9,777 votes in the election for the next chair of Donghaeng Union, held from the 21st through 9 a.m. on the 28th. The ticket was elected with 54.15% of the vote. A total of 18,057 of the 29,102 eligible voters participated, resulting in a turnout of 62.05%. 
Donghaeng Union is calling for a joint-bargaining framework with the DS Division so that the two unions can negotiate wages together. It previously stated that, after completing the election for its next chair, it would launch a wage and collective bargaining task force (TF), demand a joint-bargaining structure and bring the DX Division's demands to the negotiating table. 
As of the 27th, Donghaeng Union had 30,935 members, representing about 63% of the entire DX Division workforce. Since the 18th, the union has been holding an indefinite sit-in rally near Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong's home in Yongsan District, Seoul, and is requesting direct talks with him over wage negotiations and performance-based bonuses. 
Meanwhile, differences among the unions over forming a joint bargaining team reportedly remain. Samsung Group United Labor Union (SGUU)'s Samsung Electronics Branch Union, which is centered on the DS Division, conveyed its position to Donghaeng Union last month that it would not form a joint bargaining team for next year's wage negotiations. 

[email protected] Im Su-bin Reporter