Tensions between unions representing Samsung Electronics' chip and consumer-electronics arms are rising ahead of wage and collective bargaining talks for next year. The Samsung chapter of the Samsung Group Supra-Enterprise Union, which speaks for the Device Solutions (DS) semiconductor division, has moved to represent workers at the bargaining table on the strength of its membership, the largest among the company's unions. Donghaeng, the union representing the Device eXperience (DX) finished-products division, disagrees, arguing that the two sides have different interests and that it should take part in joint negotiations.
Donghaeng plans to notify the Supra-Enterprise Union soon that it rejects the proposed framework for the 2027 collective bargaining demands, according to industry sources on the 19th. On the 15th, the Supra-Enterprise Union told Donghaeng it would hold a third policy committee meeting on the 29th and 30th of this month to draw up the 2027 bargaining demands. It asked Donghaeng to submit its demands in writing, saying it expected to be designated the representative union in the process to consolidate bargaining channels in December.
The request reflects the Supra-Enterprise Union's expectation that it will negotiate with management on behalf of all employees, and its intention to gather Donghaeng's views as a reference. Unions go through a channel-consolidation process before wage talks. If they fail to reach agreement voluntarily, the Labor Relations Commission reviews the matter and the union holding a majority of Samsung Electronics' unionized employees is designated as the representative union. The Supra-Enterprise Union currently holds a majority with about 53,000 members.
Donghaeng, however, wants to join the negotiations directly rather than submit its views through the Supra-Enterprise Union. Because the Supra-Enterprise Union speaks for the DS division, Donghaeng argues it must be at the table itself to defend the interests of the DX division. It also said it was inappropriate for the Supra-Enterprise Union to declare itself the representative union before the channel-consolidation process had even begun.
The National Samsung Electronics Union, another union at the company, also said it was not appropriate to submit 2027 bargaining demands on the premise that a particular union would serve as the representative. It said it would deliver its demands and ask that they be reflected in the talks once the consolidation process is complete and the representative union for 2027 is confirmed. Donghaeng and the National Samsung Electronics Union have about 31,000 and 24,000 members respectively, fewer than the Supra-Enterprise Union.
The friction between the unions has intensified as the performance gap between the two divisions widens ahead of the talks. Through this year's wage negotiations, the Supra-Enterprise Union secured a special performance bonus for the DS division estimated at about 40 trillion won, and it plans to seek expanded compensation in next year's talks on the back of the division's record earnings.
The DX division, by contrast, posted its first-ever quarterly operating loss in the second quarter of this year and widened that loss to more than 1 trillion won in the third quarter, according to sources. With a wider compensation gap between the two divisions now seen as unavoidable, discontent and a sense of deprivation among employees are growing.