Umbrella unions defend Samsung workers but warns that they should consider their 'social responsibility'

Korea’s two major umbrella unions, which had largely remained silent over the ongoing labor unrest at Samsung Electronics, spoke out on Sunday after the government warned that it could invoke its emergency arbitration powers to head off a looming strike.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) issued a statement criticizing the growing public backlash against Samsung Electronics unions and the mounting discussions over possible government intervention.

“Criticism directed solely at the Samsung Electronics unions is intensifying,” the FKTU said. “Some are portraying the dispute as being driven by an ‘imperial union’ that goes beyond even a ‘privileged union,’ and others are discussing invoking emergency arbitration powers based on inflated estimates of economic damage.”

“Those kinds of provocative framing and unfounded claims do nothing to resolve the situation,” it added. “Instead, they only make dialogue between labor and management more difficult while deepening the conflict.”

The FKTU also pushed back against the government for floating the possibility of using its emergency arbitration earlier the same day.

“Attempts to apply the [emergency arbitration] measure simply because of the dispute’s economic ripple effects risk setting a precedent that effectively restricts the right of workers at large corporations to strike,” the FKTU said.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) previously voiced its opposition in a statement issued on Thursday.

“Business groups, conservative media outlets and some academics are discussing invoking [the government’s] emergency arbitration powers over Samsung Electronics workers’ industrial action,” the KCTU said. “We firmly oppose attempts to suppress workers’ constitutional rights through economic logic.”

The government officially raised the possibility of invoking its emergency arbitration powers on Sunday while strongly urging an end to the dispute and encouraging workers to refrain from going on strike.

“If a situation arises in which the strike is expected to inflict enormous damage on the national economy, the government will have no choice but to consider all available measures, including emergency arbitration, to protect the economy,” Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said in a public address.

Emergency arbitration is a mediation mechanism that can be implemented by the labor minister when strike action is deemed likely to disrupt daily public life or seriously damage the national economy. Once invoked, strikes are barred for 30 days while the National Labor Relations Commission conducts mediation. If even the commission’s attempts appear unlikely to produce an agreement, it can refer the dispute to arbitration — effectively imposing a binding settlement.

Until recently, both the KCTU and FKTU had refrained from taking a clear public stance despite mounting criticism surrounding the Samsung Electronics labor-management dispute.

Experts say the restraint may reflect the fact that the Samsung Group United Union operates independently and is not affiliated with either group, as well as concerns that criticism could spread more broadly to unions at major corporations.

However, demands for expanded performance-based bonuses have already spread to unions at other major companies, including Hyundai Motor Company, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, LG U+ and Kakao.

As debate over bonuses intensified, the FKTU argued that the Samsung Electronics union’s demands should not be dismissed as “excessive.”

“The performance-based wage system is one that companies themselves expanded while strengthening a culture centered on competition and results,” the FKTU said. “The current conflict centers on resurfaced but unresolved questions surrounding standards and fairness in profit distribution.”

“It should not be viewed as an excessive demand from a particular group but as a legitimate question over who should receive the profits created by companies and under what standards,” it continued.

At the same time, the FKTU urged Samsung Electronics unions to consider their broader social responsibilities.

“The role of labor unions does not stop at representing the interests of a specific group,” the FKTU said. “It also carries the social responsibility of coordinating differing interests among union members and, more broadly, addressing inequality and widening gaps across the labor market.”

“We hope this struggle can faithfully reflect the demands of union members while also serving as an opportunity to pursue broader solidarity and responsibility,” it added.

Samsung Electronics unions have warned of an 18-day general strike scheduled to begin on Thursday and run through June 7. Their demands include scrapping the annual bonus cap and distributing 15 percent of the semiconductor division’s annual operating profit to workers.

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 KIM YEON-JOO [[email protected]]