According to the SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS labor union on the 4th, the primary participants in this strike will be staff in the Quality Control (QC) Testing Department, the Quality Assurance (QA) Department, the Logistics Department, and indirect support roles within the Production Department. The expected number of participants is around 400.
The union maintains that it decided to hold a second strike because the company failed to respond to its request for negotiations. Along with this strike, the union plans to sequentially expand the strike to other production processes, within the limits permitted by the court’s preliminary injunction. Specific details regarding which processes will be affected, the schedule for the expansion, and the end date of the strike have not yet been disclosed.
Prior to this strike notice, labor and management clashed over issues such as the representatives to be involved in negotiations and the format of discussions. On the 30th of last month, the union sent an official letter to the company requesting the complete exclusion and replacement of the company’s chief bargaining representative.
In a statement delivered to the union on the 2nd, the company stated that it would not accept this request. The company explained that there was no evidence that the representative in question had insulted the union or its bargaining representatives in an official setting or intentionally spread false information. The company characterized the demand to replace the representative as an “unreasonable demand without rational grounds.”
The company also raised concerns about the union’s approach to the labor dispute. According to the statement, during talks on the 28th of last month, the union mentioned that it would consider delegating bargaining authority to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and focusing on the labor dispute. The company argued that subsequent strike announcements made through the media, as well as remarks directed at the company’s bargaining representative and labor-management liaison during an in-house rally on the 30th of last month, had undermined mutual trust.
For these reasons, ahead of the negotiations originally scheduled for the 3rd of this month, the company proposed taking a two-week break to foster mutual growth and restore trust. However, it stated that it remains prepared to negotiate during that period if the union ceases unilateral pressure tactics and requests dialogue based on mutual respect and trust.
The union maintains that it will keep the door open for negotiations, separate from the strike. Park Jae-sung, chairman of the SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS union, said, “We plan to expand the production line strike sequentially while adhering to the preliminary injunction ruling,” adding, “The door to negotiations remains open even during the labor dispute.”
SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS stated that its commitment to reaching an agreement through negotiations remains unchanged despite the strike notice. The company said, “We are keeping the channels of communication open to reach an amicable resolution on the wage and collective bargaining agreement,” but added, “It may be difficult to achieve constructive dialogue and reach an agreement if the union continues with hardline measures, such as expanding the strike.”
The company further added, “We hope that labor and management will seek reasonable solutions based on mutual respect and trust,” and pledged, “We will do our utmost to maintain fair operations and ensure quality stability so that patients and our clients are not adversely affected.”
