The labor union at Samsung Biologics has proposed a 4.5-day workweek and a new monthly 300,000 won hazard allowance for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) work in labor-management talks. Analysts said it could become a new flashpoint in labor relations following the Samsung Biologics data leak scandal.
According to the business community on the 27th, management and labor at Samsung Biologics are currently holding wage negotiations. The union is demanding a reduction in working hours from 40 to 36 per week. A representative of the Samsung Biologics win-win union said, "Social sentiment is moving toward a 4.5-day workweek, and there were opinions inside the company that working hours are excessive."
The union also proposed creating an ADC hazard allowance. ADC is a treatment technology that attaches a drug (payload) to an antibody to deliver it precisely to cancer cells. It reduces side effects on normal cells while maximizing therapeutic efficacy. However, because the payload carries toxicity risks, the union says employees involved in ADC processing or quality control should receive a monthly 300,000 won hazard allowance.
The Samsung Biologics union is proposing a wage increase equal to this year's base rate of 9.3% plus 3.5 million won. It is also demanding that the starting salary be raised from 49.5 million won to 54 million won.
In November last year, Samsung Biologics faced controversy after HR team documents containing employees' personal information were leaked internally. The data included the resident registration numbers, academic backgrounds, annual salaries, and performance evaluations of 5,000 employees.
Amid this, suspicions surfaced that the Business Support Task Force of Samsung Electronics, the successor to the Samsung Group Future Strategy Office, intervened in Samsung Biologics' performance evaluations, raising questions about the leadership of John Rim, the head of Samsung Biologics.
At the end of last year, after reaching a labor-management agreement, Samsung Biologics paid each employee a 4 million won incentive. It was reportedly paid regardless of rank, including to those on leave.
In addition, in January this year Samsung Biologics paid an excess profit incentive (OPI) equal to 50% of employees' annual salary. OPI is a Samsung Group incentive program paid at the start of the following year based on annual performance. Samsung Biologics posted consolidation sales of 4.557 trillion won and operating profit of 2.0692 trillion won last year, up 30% and 57%, respectively, from the previous year.
Regarding the current bargaining proposal, a spokesperson in Samsung Biologics' PR office said, "It is difficult to comment as the matter is under discussion."