Samsung's Non-Chip Unit Union Seeks to Halt Pay Scheme Vote

According to the Yonhap News Agency, Samsung Electronics' third-largest labor union, "Solidarity Union," announced that it will submit an application to the Suwon District Court on the 26th, demanding a halt to the ongoing provisional agreement vote for the 2026 wage negotiation.

This vote revolves around the interim wage agreement previously reached by labor and management, with the deadline set for 10 am on the 27th. The core claim of the Solidarity Union is that the largest union, "Samsung Group Ultra Enterprise Labor Union Samsung Branch" (referred to as the Ultra Enterprise Union), excluded it in推进 the voting process, depriving its members of their right to vote.

The root of the conflict lies in the structural unfairness of the wage agreement itself. According to the provisional agreement, employees of the semiconductor department (DS division) can receive performance bonuses ranging from approximately 210 million to 600 million won (pre-tax, based on an annual salary of 100 million won); whereas employees of the device experience department (DX division), which is responsible for smartphones, home appliances, and television business, are most likely to only receive company stocks worth about 6 million won.

Union Split and Voting Rights Controversy

The Solidarity Union, primarily composed of DX division employees, has expanded its membership from an initial approximately 2,600 to over 13,000. Previously, the Solidarity Union had formed the "Joint Struggle Headquarters" with the Ultra Enterprise Union and the All Samsung Union to participate in negotiations, but withdrew due to insufficient reflection of the DX division employees' opinions.

The stance of the Ultra Enterprise Union is that since the Solidarity Union has withdrawn from the Joint Struggle Headquarters, it is not qualified to participate in this vote. The Solidarity Union, in turn, argues that the other side "pretends to respect the right to vote, but once the cohesion of the DX division employees is formed, they suddenly剥夺 the right to vote," characterizing it as "despicable means."

Employees of the DX division and other non-memory business employees are currently actively organizing a negative voting campaign, striving to reject the provisional agreement. Whether the court accepts the application will directly determine whether this vote can be completed on schedule.