About 1,000 members of the Samsung Electronics labor union are withdrawing from the organization every day [1].

This mass departure signals a growing internal rift within one of South Korea's most powerful labor organizations just before a planned strike. The conflict threatens to undermine the union's collective bargaining power by pitting different business divisions against one another.

The unrest centers on accusations that the union is prioritizing the semiconductor division over other sectors. Members of the home-appliance and mobile divisions have expressed dissatisfaction with a proposed profit-sharing plan that they believe unfairly benefits memory-division employees [1].

According to the union, the proposed plan would use 15% of operating profit as a resource [1]. This allocation would provide each employee in the memory division with a bonus of 600 million KRW [1].

"The union argues that 15% of operating profits should be used to pay a performance bonus of 600 million won per person to employees in the memory business division," the Samsung Electronics labor union said [1].

This internal friction follows a period of outward strength for the organization. Last month, the union held a resolution rally at the Pyeongtaek campus that was attended by 40,000 members [1].

"They showed their strength with a resolution rally at the Pyeongtaek campus attended by 40,000 members last month," reporter Park Ki-wan said [1].

Despite the recent show of force, the daily exodus of members persists. The instability comes at a critical time, as the union is planning a record-size strike scheduled for May 21, 2024 [1].

“About 1,000 members of the Samsung Electronics labor union are withdrawing from the organization every day.”

The conflict highlights a structural tension within Samsung's workforce where the immense profitability of the semiconductor wing creates disparity in bonus expectations. By proposing a bonus tied specifically to memory-division success, the union has inadvertently alienated workers in other divisions, potentially weakening the unified front necessary for the upcoming May 21 strike.