Samsung Biologics said on the 1st that it will take every possible measure to minimize damage to clients in connection with the all-out strike.
Samsung Biologics issued a statement that afternoon, saying it feels a heavy sense of responsibility for production disruptions caused by the strike and is focusing its capabilities on preventing further damage and normalizing the corporate environment.
Regarding the partial strike held on the 28th to the 30th of last month ahead of the all-out strike, it said, although we moved quickly to a contingency response by mobilizing available personnel, we inevitably halted production in some lines, and this included products that directly affect patients' lives, such as anticancer drugs and human immunodeficiency virus treatments, adding that as a result it estimates losses of about 150 billion won.
Samsung Biologics held 13 rounds of bargaining and two meetings with the CEO with the labor union through March to conclude the collective wage and bargaining agreement. The union proposed an average 14% wage increase, a 30 million won bonus per person, and distribution of 20% of operating profit as performance pay. Management was reported to have proposed a 6.2% wage increase.
Samsung Biologics said demands directly tied to personnel authority and managerial control were difficult for the company to accept, so the gap between the company's proposal and the union's demands could not be narrowed over the past month, adding that it will faithfully participate in the talks scheduled for the 4th under the mediation of the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office.
The Samsung Biologics union decided that day to hold the first strike since the company's founding. The strike is set from the 1st to the 5th, and about 2,000 people are said to have expressed their intention to participate. However, the strike will be conducted by taking annual leave, and no strike will take place in three finishing processes—preventing deterioration and spoilage of pharmaceuticals—that the court has restricted from striking.