Remarks made before regular compliance committee meeting
Mutual recriminations grow between Samsung's two main unions
Rivalry over bargaining rights continues
Lee Chan-hee says committee will closely monitor inter-union conflict
Samsung's Compliance Committee said Tuesday it would closely monitor a deepening conflict between two of Samsung Electronics' major unions, as a war of words between the company's largest union and a rival labor group continues to escalate.
Lee Chan-hee, chairman of the Compliance Committee, met with reporters before the committee's regular meeting at Samsung Life Insurance's Seocho Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday. "Labor rights have been the first of three priority tasks the committee has pursued through its second, third and fourth terms," he said. "They are an important principle that must be upheld not only in labor-management relations but also in relations between unions."
Tensions between the two unions have been simmering inside Samsung Electronics. The dispute came to a head after it emerged that Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the Samsung Electronics branch of the cross-enterprise union — the company's largest — had signed a contract to purchase rally vests and other demonstration supplies from a company run by his father-in-law.
Choi acknowledged the contract but denied any personal gain, saying the vendor was selected after comparing multiple suppliers and was found to offer the lowest unit price and reliable delivery. He said the deal was carried out with the consent of the joint struggle committee.
He also alleged that Donghaeng, a union centered on employees in the finished-product, or DX, division, had played a role in spreading the allegations against him.
The cross-enterprise union further accused Donghaeng of allowing violent and derogatory language targeting executives and Choi himself in the union's internal messaging channel, and called for a formal apology. The union said the matter went "beyond differences of opinion on compensation systems or bargaining outcomes" and constituted a serious issue capable of causing anxiety and humiliation to those involved and their colleagues.
Donghaeng has been pressing the company to take a public stance on a separate case in which Choi was referred to prosecutors on charges of unlawfully accessing the personal information of some 100,000 Samsung Electronics employees and compiling and maintaining a so-called blacklist recording their union membership status.
"We have collected more than 15,000 petitions calling for severe punishment in connection with this case," Donghaeng said. "This is not something that can be brushed aside in silence."
At the root of the conflict is a dispute over bargaining rights. Donghaeng proposed joint bargaining, but the cross-enterprise union rejected the offer, fueling an ongoing rivalry over which union holds the status of exclusive bargaining representative.
Meanwhile, the Compliance Committee convened its labor rights subcommittee in late August to hear expert opinions on a bonus system that ties payouts to a set percentage of operating profit. The discussions covered concerns about the system's potential impact on the company's long-term competitiveness and its broader social implications for the industry.
Lee said the committee had discussed "bonuses, human rights in labor relations and related matters broadly," and added that "if labor-management issues become a major concern within Samsung, the labor subcommittee is likely to become more active."
Asked about the alleged improper collection of monthly rent support payments in Samsung Electronics' semiconductor, or DS, division, and the controversy over Choi's supply contract with his father-in-law's company, Lee was guarded. "We have not pinned down the exact facts within the committee, but if any problems are found in the process, Samsung will handle them according to the law and established principles," he said.
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