Samsung Biologics management and union are set to resume negotiations. The Samsung Biologics Coexistence Labor Union has designated this round of talks as a “final negotiation” and plans to launch a strike in stages if the discussions break down. The union is also considering joining the Federation of Korean Trade Unions in the long term.
According to industry sources on the 30th, Samsung Biologics management and union will begin negotiations on the 3rd of next month. Attention is focused on whether this negotiation session, arranged after the court issued a restraining order against the union’s full-scale strike, can break the ice for an agreement between the two sides.
Park Jae-seong, leader of the union, said, “If no agreement is reached in this round of negotiations either, we plan to launch a strike,” adding, “We are also smoothly proceeding with forming a dispute fund for union members.”
Regarding movements toward solidarity with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, Park said, “It has not been decided whether we will join the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. In the long term, we can consider joining. This is because it is difficult to negotiate with management as an individual company union.”
The union held a press conference at the National Assembly on the 26th of last month to protest the appellate court’s decision on the preliminary injunction prohibiting labor dispute actions. Kang Seok-yoon, from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), attended the event and delivered a statement of solidarity, drawing attention.
Samsung Biologics management and union have continued their conflict over issues such as base salary increases and performance-based pay. The union had announced a second general strike on the 26th of this month, following its first full-scale strike in May, but revised its plans after the court ruled to grant the preliminary injunction prohibiting labor dispute actions.
The management side stated, “Following the appellate court’s decision on the preliminary injunction prohibiting labor dispute actions, at a dialogue session proposed by the union on the 28th of last month, they mentioned that ‘negotiations will be delegated to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and the union will focus on the strike.’” They added, “The union has continued an attitude of pressuring the company with strikes ahead, beyond this dialogue session.”
They further stated, “The union unilaterally declared ‘strike after final negotiation,’ foreshadowing a breakdown in negotiations and a strike,” adding, “There is great concern that such actions by the union appear to focus on building justification for a strike while displaying a tough stance externally, rather than making efforts toward a substantive settlement of negotiations.”
They continued, “Inevitably, concerns are growing about how substantive consultations can be carried forward in the negotiations scheduled for next week,” and added, “Samsung Biologics remains committed to taking sufficient time to narrow differences between management and labor and resolve issues through dialogue.”
In response, the union said, “The union’s mention of delegating negotiations to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions means that we can appoint a representative; it is not our position to unconditionally delegate negotiations to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions while the union prepares for a strike,” adding, “The union executive board is scheduled to attend the negotiations starting next month.”
in THEBIO
