Samsung Electronics union count hits seven as a new one files

Who is behind the Samsung Electronics Gwangju Union?

The chair is reportedly Lee Won-il, a former Gwangju branch head at the Samsung Group Supra-Enterprise Union's Samsung Electronics chapter. He comes from the Device eXperience (DX) division, which covers consumer products. According to the report, he is one of two officials who were expelled while that union reorganized around the chip-focused Device Solutions (DS) division.

The new union plans to work mainly out of the Gwangju site and later expand to semiconductor sites in the Honam region.

Why other unions are unhappy

The Samsung Electronics Union Donghaeng issued a statement on the day expressing regret over the infighting and splits at the Supra-Enterprise Union, and the new unions that keep appearing as a result. It pointed to the controversy over DX leaders being sidelined in the DS-centered reorganization, and to complaints about decisions being made around the chair. It also asked what an ever-growing number of unions does for the company's 120,000 employees.

Five unions are active at Samsung Electronics now: the Supra-Enterprise Union, Donghaeng, the National Samsung Electronics Union, the white-collar union and the Gumi Network Union. The Supra-Enterprise Union has 53,480 members as of 13 November.

What it means for next year's wage talks

In next year's wage and collective bargaining, the unions must go through a single bargaining channel process to pick a representative union. Once the new unions are formally established, the lineup taking part in that process could change.