Economic Groups Postpone Statement Urging Samsung Union to Halt Strike

Economic groups have temporarily postponed the announcement of a joint statement urging the Samsung union to withdraw its strike plans, following a request from the government. The six major economic organizations, including the Korea Economic Federation and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had intended to issue a joint statement calling for the Samsung union to cancel its strike plans and foster harmonious cooperation between labor and management. These groups expressed concern that the Samsung union's strike could create difficulties for key national industries and the overall economy, as well as destabilize the ecosystem of its partner companies.

The plan was put on hold after the government intervened, requesting that the economic groups refrain from announcing their statement and offering to mediate the labor dispute. While the statement's announcement is delayed due to the government's mediation request, the Samsung Electronics union has accepted the post-facto arbitration process proposed by the government, and profit-sharing negotiations are set to resume. Post-facto arbitration is a process where the Labor Relations Commission mediates dispute resolution with the consent of both labor and management, and it is scheduled to take place over two days, the 11th and 12th.

The preparation of the economic groups' statement was led by their respective departments handling labor-management issues for individual companies, and there were cautious discussions regarding the appropriateness of economic groups intervening in such matters. The decision to proceed with a joint statement from the six economic groups was made based on the assessment that the Samsung Electronics union's strike could escalate into a national issue. It has also emerged that Samsung Electronics requested assistance from the economic groups amidst concerns over potential disruptions to semiconductor plant operations and expressions of apprehension from various figures regarding the strike.