Samsung Electronics' largest union has pushed back against the company's decision to remove posts from the internal intranet board "Nawtalk" from the main page of the corporate website, demanding that the original display format be restored on the grounds that the collective agreement guarantees union promotional activities.
The Samsung Group cross-company union sent a formal letter Monday to Samsung Electronics semiconductor (DS) division head and co-CEO Jeon Young-hyun and People Team head Yeo Myeong-gu, titled "Position on Nawtalk Restructuring and Request for Review."
Samsung Electronics revamped Nawtalk on Aug. 14, citing the enforcement of an amended telecommunications network law, among other reasons. The company switched the board from anonymous to real-name posting and changed how posts are displayed so they can no longer be viewed directly on the main page of the corporate intranet.
In response, the union asked the company to restore the previous setup so that Nawtalk posts are again accessible from the main page.
The union said it has no objection to the shift to real-name posting itself, expressing sympathy with the company's stated aim of protecting employees from defamatory or unverified content posted under anonymity and fostering a culture of mutual respect.
However, it said removing Nawtalk from the main page is a separate matter from the real-name transition.
"The amended telecommunications network law the company cited governs the distribution of false and manipulated information and liability for resulting damages — it has nothing to do with where a board appears or how many steps it takes to access it," the union said. "Removing the board from the main page is a management decision, not a legal obligation."
The union pointed to the collective agreement's guarantee of union promotional activities as its basis. Article 9, Clause 1 of the labor-management collective agreement allows the union to post promotional materials on Nawtalk. "Even if the right to post is formally preserved, the substance of the promotional activity guarantee in the agreement cannot be secured if the content fails to reach union members," the union said.
The union also rejected the company's suggestion that the issue could be taken up as an agenda item in the 2027 collective bargaining talks, saying it would rather resolve the matter through direct consultation. It asked the company to restore Nawtalk posts to the main page and requested a response by Friday.
go@heraldcorp.com
