As criticism grows that the cross-company labor union Samsung Electronics Branch (hereafter the cross-company union), which constitutes a majority at Samsung Electronics, is demanding bonuses centered on semiconductors, a wave of withdrawals from the union is spreading among DX (finished goods) employees.
According to the industry on the 17th, the cross-company union had 71,625 members as of 8 a.m. that day. The cross-company union's membership once reached 76,000, meaning 4,375 have left compared with then.
Union members in the DX institutional sector are leaving in succession, saying this wage negotiation is focused only on the DS (semiconductor) institutional sector. Earlier, Samsung Electronics Labor Union Donghaeng (Donghaeng union), 70% of whose members are in the DX institutional sector, said on the 4th that it would withdraw from the joint struggle headquarters it had formed with the cross-company union and the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (Jeonsamno). It cited "no response so far to proposals and requests for agenda items for the rights and interests of all members, not just those in a specific field."
As the current strike is centered on the DS institutional sector, some analysts say defections by DX institutional sector members will have a limited immediate impact on the strike. However, if large-scale departures continue and the status as a majority union wobbles, the union's lead in talks with management and its legal legitimacy could be significantly weakened going forward. To maintain its status as a majority union, the cross-company union must secure about 64,000 members, or half of all employees.
The Samsung Electronics union has announced an 18-day general strike from the 21st to July 7. About 46,000 members have expressed their intention to participate so far, and the union expects as many as about 50,000 to join.