Samsung Electronics secured a crucial partial court injunction on Monday, imposing restrictions on its labor union’s impending strike action.
The court’s directive mandates that the union must uphold standard staffing levels for essential safety and facility protection operations throughout the duration of the industrial action.
While this ruling places significant operational limits on the union’s planned full-scale strike, set to commence this Thursday, it stops short of an outright ban on the industrial action.
The Suwon District Court, in partially granting Samsung Electronics’ injunction request filed on April 16, explicitly ordered the union not to impede the functioning of safety protection facilities or any work crucial for preventing facility damage and product deterioration.
“The union is prohibited from suspending, abolishing, or obstructing the maintenance and operation of safety protection facilities below usual levels – including staffing, operating hours, operating scale, and duty of care on weekdays, weekends, and holidays – nor shall it instruct its members to do so during the period of industrial action,” the court unequivocally stated in its ruling.
Furthermore, the court explicitly barred the union from impeding critical operations aimed at preventing facility damage and wafer deterioration, mandating that these functions must be maintained at pre-strike operational levels.
The injunction also specifically prohibits the Samsung Electronics Company Union and its chief, Choi Seung-ho, from occupying any part of Samsung’s facilities, installing locks, or obstructing worker access.
This pivotal ruling arrives merely three days before the anticipated industrial action. The union had previously announced plans for an 18-day full-scale strike commencing Thursday, projecting participation from an estimated 50,000 Samsung employees.
Concurrently, Samsung Electronics management and the labor union commenced what is widely anticipated to be their final round of negotiations before the scheduled strike. These government-mediated talks took place on Monday at the National Labor Relations Commission within the Government Complex Sejong.
At the core of the dispute, the union’s demands include the removal of the current 50 percent of annual salary cap on performance-based bonuses. They also seek the institutionalization of a bonus plan that would dedicate 15 percent of Samsung Electronics’ operating profit as the dedicated funding source for these employee payments.
Management has countered by stating its willingness to offer industry-leading compensation as a special reward should the company reclaim its top market position. However, they firmly maintain their inability to institutionalize the complete removal of the bonus cap.
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