Seoul, May 5: Employees affiliated with the union at Samsung Biologics, the biotech arm of Samsung Group, continued their first general strike for the fifth day on Tuesday. They are demanding higher wages and increased performance-based compensation.
According to the union, the strike began on Friday, with approximately 2,800 out of 4,000 union members participating. This is the first strike since the company’s establishment in 2011, as reported by the Yonhap News Agency.
After concluding the five-day strike, the union plans to initiate a ‘work-to-rule’ campaign starting Wednesday.
Union workers are seeking a 14% increase in their base and performance-related pay, a one-time cash incentive of 30 million won (approximately $20,390) for each worker, and a bonus equivalent to 20% of the annual operating profit.
The company has proposed an overall wage increase of 6.2% for base and performance-related pay.
Both parties resumed negotiations on Monday but failed to reach an agreement. They plan to hold two more meetings this week to address their differences.
Last month, union workers conducted a three-day partial strike, which the company claims resulted in a loss of at least 150 billion won (approximately $101.5 million).
A company source stated, “Our decision to respond to the labor ministry’s request for mediation during the strike is part of our genuine efforts to resolve this matter through dialogue.”
The representative urged the labor union to halt their “unreasonable” demands and return to the negotiation table.
During last week’s initial mediation meeting, the labor union reportedly demanded to replace all members of its bargaining committee as a condition for negotiations.
According to the company’s labor union, about 2,800 of the 4,000 union members have participated in this collective action.
The company claims that the strike could lead to a loss of at least 640 billion won, which is nearly half of the company’s sales for the first quarter.
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