Samsung Biologics union strengthens alliance with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU)... Company questions sincerity of negotiations

[Financial News] Samsung Biologics’ labor and management, at odds for more than six months over wage increases and improvements to the personnel system, are continuing their war of nerves ahead of full-scale negotiations next month. As the union strengthens its alliance with the FKTU and steps up its public campaign, the company has voiced concern that the union’s hardline moves may be focused more on building a case for a strike than on substantive negotiations.
According to pharmaceutical and biotech industry sources on the 30th, the Samsung Biologics Labor Union has recently been broadening its cooperation with the FKTU. Whether it will join the FKTU has not been decided, but the possibility of joining in the future remains open.
The union held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 26th to denounce a court decision expanding the scope of prohibited industrial action. Earlier, on the 16th, the Seoul High Court expanded the number of types of work covered by restrictions on industrial action from three to nine in an appeal hearing over an injunction sought by the company to prohibit such action. This also put the brakes on the full-scale strike the union had planned to launch on the 26th.
Kang Seok-yun, a standing vice president of the FKTU, attended the press conference that day and said the federation would stand in solidarity with the union’s struggle. The FKTU had also submitted a petition to the court on the 14th of this month, under the name of its chair, Kim Dong-myung, opposing the expanded restrictions on industrial action.
Since leaving the Samsung Group’s cross-company union, the union has been building closer ties with the FKTU. Asked whether it would join the FKTU, a union representative said, “We haven’t joined yet, and we may consider it over the long term,” adding, “For now, it’s important to conclude negotiations on wages and the collective agreement.”
The company, however, is paying more attention to the union’s conduct in future negotiations than to the alliance with the FKTU itself. It said it had received no official information about whether the union plans to join the FKTU.
The company said that after the injunction appeal ruling on the 28th, the union indefinitely postponed its strike and proposed negotiations, so the company arranged a meeting for dialogue. At that meeting, however, the union reportedly said, in effect, “We’ll leave negotiations to the FKTU, while the union focuses on the strike.”
The company also voiced concern that the union had announced “make-or-break negotiations” and a strike immediately after discussions on the negotiation schedule, before substantive talks had even begun. Samsung Biologics said the union’s moves could appear to emphasize a hardline position publicly and build a case for a future strike rather than pursue a substantive agreement.
The union is set to resume full-scale negotiations with the company on the 3rd of next month. It has described the talks as “make-or-break negotiations” and says it will launch strikes in stages if they fail.
The company is emphasizing its commitment to resolving the dispute through dialogue. A Samsung Biologics representative said, “Our position remains unchanged: we will take sufficient time to narrow the differences between the two sides and resolve the issue through dialogue,” adding, “We also hope the union will approach negotiations responsibly rather than making unilateral declarations.”

[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter