Samsung DX Union Demands 270 Million Won in Stock Per Person Following Wage Deal, Plans Rally

The labor union of Samsung Electronics' DX (Device Experience) division, which handles non-semiconductor businesses, is set to hold a large-scale rally tomorrow (August 21) demanding compensation equivalent to 1,000 shares of company stock—worth about 270 million won per employee.

It is estimated that if the union's demands are met, the amount Samsung Electronics would have to bear would exceed 11 trillion won.

The "Donghaeng" labor union, centered around Samsung Electronics' DX division, plans to hold a rally starting at 3:00 PM tomorrow near the Samsung Electronics Seocho building in Seoul.

The union expects about 3,000 people to attend.

The core issue of this rally is the compensation gap with the DS (Device Solutions) division, which handles the semiconductor business.

Previously, Samsung Electronics management and labor reached a wage agreement in May, agreeing to provide DX division employees with company stock worth about 6 million won per person.

Accordingly, last month, a total of approximately 1.08 million shares of company stock—worth about 344.5 billion won based on the closing price at the time—were distributed to some 49,000 employees.

However, the Donghaeng union is demanding that this agreement be completely nullified and renegotiated.

They are demanding a compensation plan that provides DX division employees with about 1,000 shares of company stock per person, amounting to roughly 270 million won.

Industry watchers estimate that if the union's demands are accepted, the resulting financial burden on Samsung Electronics will exceed 11 trillion won.

However, legal controversies have also been raised regarding the union's method of holding the rally.

Because the rally is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM during normal working hours, union members are reportedly planning to attend by utilizing the company's "D-day" system, which allows employees to take time off using annual leave or accumulated overtime.

Some in the industry interpret that if participation in the rally leads to a collective refusal to provide labor, it could constitute a dispute action.

Under the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, dispute actions require certain procedures, such as mediation by the Labor Relations Commission and a vote of union members, but the Donghaeng union has not currently gone through these procedures.

Critics also point out that since the wage negotiations between management and labor for this year have already been concluded, this rally may violate the so-called "peace obligation," which mandates that no dispute actions should be taken until the end of February next year.

In response, the Donghaeng union maintains that participation in the rally is based on voluntary principles and that attending by utilizing annual leave or the company's official time-off system does not constitute a dispute action or business obstruction.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.