Park Jae-sung, chairman of the SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS labor union, said on the 28th after discussing the negotiation process with management during lunch, “We set the schedule for the next round of negotiations during today’s talks,” adding, “We clearly stated our position that these negotiations will be the final round.”
Previously, the court had restricted labor disputes involving nine of SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS’ key production processes. The union maintains that if these negotiations break down, it will launch sequential strikes centered on business units such as logistics, excluding the production processes.
Chairman Park said, “The negotiation schedule begins on the 3rd of next month, and on the assumption that negotiations will continue to be extended, we have agreed to keep our mutual schedules completely open for that week.”
He continued, “We urged management to approach the negotiations with the understanding that if talks break down again next week, there will be no further dialogue,” adding, “Management indicated they would report this matter to the board and make a decision accordingly.”
Labor and management at SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS have been locked in a prolonged dispute since last March over wage increases and improvements to the personnel system. After mediation regarding wages and the collective bargaining agreement broke down in March, the union staged a partial strike in late April and a full-scale strike for five days in early May. Since then, they have been continuing a “law-abiding struggle” by refusing to work overtime or on holidays.
The union had originally planned to hold a second general strike for three weeks starting on the 26th of this month, but postponed the strike schedule after the court issued a ruling expanding the scope of work subject to the ban on labor disputes.
Meanwhile, SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS stated, “We plan to engage faithfully in the upcoming negotiations.”
