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Samsung Electronics device labor union withdraws from coalition due to semiconductor bias

Published: 05 May. 2026, 11:48 Updated: 05 May. 2026, 13:45

Members of the Samsung Group-wide labor union hold a press conference in front of the office of Samsung Electronics in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on April 17. [YONHAP]

One of the three Samsung Electronics labor unions that had threatened to participate in a joint strike over the company’s cap on performance bonuses withdrew from the coalition on Monday due to concerns that the front disproportionately favors the chipmaking division.

Samsung Electronics Company Union (SECU) notified its former partners — the Samsung Electronics Labor Union (SELU) and the National Samsung Electronics Union — in a letter that it would withdraw from joint action, citing the alliance’s decision-making structure’s domination by the interests of workers in the semiconductor business.

“Our union has raised proposals [...] not for a specific group but for the rights and interests of all members,” SECU wrote in the letter. “However, the other unions have not responded at all or shown any willingness to engage [in our requests]. As a result, our views have not been reflected in any meaningful way.”

With around 2,300 members, SECU is the smallest of the three unions in the coalition, which was formed in November last year. Approximately 70 percent of its membership is drawn from the company’s Device eXperience division, which includes smartphones, televisions and home appliances.

Since forming the coalition, the three unions have called on the company to scrap its cap on performance-based bonuses and have threatened to stage a general strike on May 21 if their demands are not met.

Negotiations with management have been led by SELU, which has roughly 74,000 members. Most of them work in the Device Solutions division, which is responsible for chipmaking.

SECU also cited what it described as repeated disparaging remarks from the other unions as a factor in its decision.

“There have been continuous attacks and belittling comments against our union, including malicious accusations that we are a company-friendly group,” it said.

According to SECU, it plans to formally notify Samsung Electronics of its withdrawal from the coalition on Wednesday and will pursue separate wage negotiations.

The split exposes deepening fault lines within Samsung Electronics’ organized labor, in which tensions have been building over how to distribute performance-based bonuses.

The SELU-led alliance has faced criticism for centering its demands on semiconductor workers, which has fueled discontent among employees in other divisions.

If the company accepts the unions’ demands, employees in the chipmaking division could receive bonuses of up to about 700 million won ($475,000) per person. However, those in the device business would see their bonuses remain capped at 50 percent of their annual salaries.

The demands being made by the coalition have drawn criticism from even liberal lawmakers who are usually sympathetic to organized labor.

The remaining unions in the coalition confirmed that they would continue their plans for an 18-day general strike starting May 21. About 28,000 members have indicated their intention to participate through an online survey.

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 LEE YOUNG-KEUN [[email protected]]