Small businesses urge Samsung union to abandon 'selfish' plan to strike

With a strike at Samsung Electronics looming over the country, opposition to the collective action has spread to small businesses, with the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise (KFME) on Tuesday arguing that the protest would undermine public livelihoods and the national economy.

“The union’s demands to allocate 15 percent of operating profit to incentives and remove the cap on bonus payouts would be seen by many small business owners struggling to earn even minimum wage as deeply tone-deaf, leaving them with a profound sense of deprivation and despair,” Song Chi-young, chief of the federation, said during a press conference outside Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek campus in Gyeonggi, urging the union to abandon its plan to stage a full-scale strike on Thursday.

The press conference was also attended by Lee Sang-baek, head of the federation’s Gyeonggi branch, and small business owners from nearby areas.

“It is a selfish behavior that ignores the hardships ordinary people face,” Song said of the union's demand for bonuses reaching into the hundreds of millions of won on the back of a massive windfall from semiconductor exports. “The gigantic union that already enjoys some of the highest wages and benefits in the country is resorting to extreme measures solely in pursuit of its own interests.”

The federation warned that the strike could threaten Korea’s broader economic ecosystem.

The KFME said a shutdown of one of the country’s core export industries during an intensifying global chip race would not only hurt the economy but also push up the cost of living.

The organization noted that the strike would deepen financial difficulties for small and midsize manufacturers and suppliers of semiconductor materials, parts and equipment. It added that the industrial action could inflict serious damage on local merchants and commercial districts surrounding major manufacturing hubs.

Small business owners who attended Tuesday’s rally also expressed concerns about threats to their livelihoods.

“If the strike causes prolonged disruption to small and midsize businesses, [we] will pursue a class-action suit against Samsung Electronics,” said Lim Yong-pil, head of the KFME’s Pyeongtaek branch.

The federation called on Samsung Electronics’ union to immediately cancel the planned general strike and pursue a cooperative labor-management relationship through dialogue.

It also urged union members to fulfill their social responsibilities as employees of one of Korea’s major companies.

“A labor movement that has forgotten the value of co-existence cannot win public support,” Song said. “We hope labor and management at Samsung Electronics will reach a reasonable compromise instead of heading toward catastrophe and join efforts to stabilize the national economy.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]