Withdrawal ends unified talks for 2026 wage negotiations
Members of the Samsung Electronics Trade Union Joint Struggle Headquarters shout slogans on the afternoon of April 23, 2026 at a rally held in front of Samsung Electronics’ Pyeongtaek business site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. (Photo, joint press coverage)
Conflict among labor unions within Samsung Electronics has intensified into an extreme phase marked by the breakup of the joint bargaining body, sending new ripples through labor-management relations. The Samsung Electronics Labor Union Donghaeng, led mainly by employees in the Device eXperience (DX) Division in charge of the home appliance business, recently officially declared its withdrawal from the joint bargaining body, making clear its intention to pursue an independent course.
Donghaeng Union on May 4 sent an official notice to the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union and the Samsung Electronics Branch of a supra-enterprise labor union, informing them of the termination of the joint bargaining body for the 2026 wage negotiations. The union explained that it decided to withdraw because the counterpart organizations consistently failed to respond to agenda requests made for the rights and interests of all members and showed no willingness to consult.
In particular, it pointed to the other unions’ malicious disparaging remarks as the core cause of the intra-union conflict. Donghaeng Union stressed that, from the past through recent times, excessive expressions such as “a company-dominated union” were used against it without hesitation, and that internal trust had been completely destroyed. In the union’s view, this constitutes a material breach of the memorandum of understanding that served as the basis for operating the joint bargaining body.
The rift is also deepening as it spreads to issues of information sharing. Donghaeng Union claimed that the other side is abusing its authority as a majority union to deliberately conceal bargaining information, and pressed it to immediately disclose the status of negotiations with management and revised proposals. It took a hardline stance, stating that if information sharing is refused without reasonable grounds or disparaging remarks continue, it will pursue civil and criminal legal action and file a corrective application with the Labor Relations Commission.
At the same time as it notified the termination of joint bargaining, Donghaeng Union sent a separate official letter to Samsung Electronics management formally requesting separate bargaining. Citing changes to internal operating policies and the need to enhance bargaining efficiency, the union said it plans to conduct future wage negotiations and a collective agreement directly with the company.
The separate bargaining demands were found to include a large number of sensitive issues directly linked to tangible improvements in employees’ treatment. It was confirmed that a total of 15 items were included, such as improvements to the excess profit performance-based bonus and the goal achievement incentive scheme, easing of the salary cap, creation of a housing stability loan, provision of treasury shares, and abolition of the wage peak system.
Industry experts analyze that the situation could adversely affect Samsung Electronics’ external competitiveness. They cite that, at a time when competition for leadership in the global semiconductor and artificial intelligence markets is intensifying, if the struggle for leadership between unions becomes prolonged, delays in decision-making and internal confusion will be inevitable.
A business community official expressed concern that, as Samsung Electronics serves as a key axis of the nation’s cutting-edge industries, if intra-union conflict runs to extremes it could become a burden on the entire industrial ecosystem. The official pointed out that the more conflict escalates over bargaining representativeness, the damage will ultimately return to all members and weaken corporate competitiveness.
Jung Suk-yee
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