Labor and management at Samsung Biologics Logistics, which have been in conflict over wage and collective bargaining agreements, are expected to resume negotiations next week. As the second wave of strikes is projected to last longer than anticipated, attention is focused on the outcome of the talks, particularly as the union is pushing for membership in the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, signaling an escalation of the dispute.
According to industry sources on the 12th, the scale of the Samsung Biologics Logistics union strike, which began on the 6th, has increased from the initial 400 participants to 500. After a court issued an order prohibiting labor disputes in key production processes, the Samsung Biologics Logistics union launched partial strikes targeting indirect support roles, including the QC (Quality Control) testing department, QA (Quality Assurance) department, logistics, and production departments.
In its early stages, the union stated that "the strike would proceed for three weeks (from the 6th to the 27th) with a scale of around 400 people." However, as strike schedules by department have sequentially overlapped in line with production process operations, the number of participants has increased. Department A initiated a three-week partial strike, followed by Departments B and C joining the partial strikes, creating overlapping periods and expanding the overall scale. Analysts note that since funds for the labor dispute fund to support strike participants are being secured, there is a high possibility that the duration of the strike will also increase.
Alongside the second wave of strikes, the union has begun pushing for membership in its parent organization, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. The plan is to conduct a pro-and-con vote among all approximately 4,000 members from the 13th to the 18th to decide on joining.
The union expects that joining the Federation of Korean Trade Unions will help strengthen its negotiating power and provide assistance with legal advice and communication with the public. In a statement released on the same day, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions said, "The Samsung Biologics Logistics union has decided to determine whether to join a parent organization through a member vote and has announced this," adding, "We will respect whatever decision the members make."
Meanwhile, labor and management are scheduled to hold their first negotiation after the second wave of strikes on the 17th. The company stated that its willingness to reach an agreement through negotiations remains unchanged, while the union expressed a stance of consulting on agenda items and negotiating as soon as possible, even before then. The union conveyed that it would conduct negotiations centered on executive management in accordance with the "principle of labor-management self-governance."
in THEBIO
