[Green Economy News = Reporter Kim Ji-mun] Samsung Electronics faces its largest company-wide strike threat since its founding, scheduled for May 21.
On the 17th, the Samsung Group cross-company union held a press conference in front of the Seocho building to officially announce that it had secured majority-union status. The standoff between labor and management appears likely to continue.
The Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group cross-company union has become a majority union for the first time since Samsung Electronics was founded in 1969. Union membership at Samsung Electronics surged from about 6,000 last September to 74,000 over seven months—a roughly 13-fold increase—as workers voiced concerns that performance bonuses were being undervalued compared with competitors.
Roughly 80% of employees have joined the union. This announced Samsung Electronics strike would be the company’s second major walkout since 2024. Given the dramatic increase in membership and organizational capacity, its scale, impact, and potential production disruptions are likely to be the largest in company history.
Samsung Electronics has labeled the planned strike illegal and filed for an injunction in court. The company argues that, if the strike proceeds as announced, it would cause significant operational losses and seriously harm the national economy. Samsung says it sought the injunction because it expects the union might engage in actions prohibited by labor law—such as occupying key facilities including production lines, disrupting safety systems, coercing participation through threats, damaging equipment, or halting measures to prevent spoilage of raw materials and products.
Samsung also asked the police to investigate allegations that someone compiled a so-called non-union member list—a blacklist.
Union: Management has abandoned dialogue; there will be no further negotiations
At the press conference on the 17th, the Samsung Electronics branch said up to 40,000 union members are expected to attend the rally ahead of the April 23 strike. It estimated that if the strike lasts 18 days, and accounting for equipment backups, the company could incur losses of at least 20 trillion KRW (approximately 15 billion USD) to 30 trillion KRW (approximately 22.5 billion USD).
Responding to the company’s injunction seeking to prohibit illegal strike actions, the union said it will not carry out illegal acts such as occupying facilities and that any strike will be conducted within legal and legitimate bounds based on counsel from its law firm.
Choi Seung-ho, chair of the Samsung cross-company union, told Green Economy News that the union repeatedly sought dialogue with management, but the company ignored those requests and filed for an injunction. “We have concluded that the company no longer intends to negotiate, and we will fight as hard as we can,” he said.
Choi emphasized that the strike is not just about caps on bonuses; it is aimed at improving treatment across related companies.
In the interview, Choi said the treatment of Samsung Electronics workers and the standards for performance bonuses affect the entire group, its affiliates, and the broader industry. “If Samsung Electronics sets a direction on worker treatment, other companies can adopt similar bargaining standards with minor adjustments. In the display division, for example, aside from removing pay caps, most other benefits are comparable; the same applies to the Samsung Biologics unit and to many parts of the electrical division, with only a few differences,” he said.
Choi added that if the cross-company union—particularly the Samsung Electronics branch—secures these changes, it would set a precedent encouraging engineering and technical workers at other affiliates and peer firms to raise their voices. “Samsung could stem talent outflows and strengthen its competitiveness,” he said.
On the recent company allegation that a blacklist of non-union members was compiled, Choi said, “With membership approaching 80% and tensions high, it appears some union members in certain departments may have privately compiled lists of non-members. The Samsung Electronics branch recognizes this and acknowledges it is wrong. We hope to resolve the matter. The central cross-company union maintains official membership rolls, and this did not occur at the union-wide level.”
Choi added, “Although Chairman Lee Jae-yong apologized in 2020 for past non-union management practices, that apology did not amount to voluntary coexistence. To secure fair treatment, we must take action. Our strike is not about fighting the company for its own sake. It aims to strengthen Samsung Electronics’ ability to attract and retain engineering talent in global competition and to push for better treatment for workers across South Korean firms.”
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