Samsung Biologics Labor and Management to Hold Post-Mediation on the 8th

First Mediation Set for 2 p.m. at Incheon Labor Relations Commission

Schedule Confirmed One Month After Union's Application

Samsung Biologics labor and management will meet again at the Labor Relations Commission’s mediation table next week.

According to the labor union of Samsung Biologics on September 1, a post-mediation session between labor and management will take place at 2:00 p.m. on September 8 at the third hearing chamber of the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission. This is taking place about a month after the parties applied for post-mediation on August 14.

Samsung Biologics Plant 4 exterior view. Samsung Biologics

Post-mediation refers to a mediation session conducted after initial mediation processes have ended, with the aim of resolving industrial disputes. The process begins only if both labor and management agree to it, and the Labor Relations Commission serves as the mediator.

Labor and management initially anticipated that a formal post-mediation session, which requires coordinating the schedules of all committee members, would be pushed back to around mid-September. Therefore, prior to that, they pursued an informal dialogue involving a mediator from the regional labor commission and an official from the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office. During this process, the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission expressed a willingness to move up the formal post-mediation date, and both parties agreed, finalizing the new schedule.

When mediation broke down with management on March 23, the labor union launched a partial strike in late April, followed by a full-scale strike from May 1 to 5. Afterwards, they continued a compliance-based protest by refusing to work overtime and on holidays.

An informal dialogue involving the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office was also held in May, but it ended without any results. At the time, the union demanded an average pay increase of 14%, a 30 million won bonus per person, and a performance bonus of 20% of operating profit. Management proposed a 6.2% salary increase and a one-time payment of 6 million won. Both sides also had major disagreements over the union’s pre-approval rights for new hires, personnel evaluations, and M&A activities.

Recently, there have been observations that the gap between the two sides on the key issue of pay increases has narrowed. The union has called for a broader pay increase, citing that annual salaries are about 15% lower than those of competitors, and management is reportedly in agreement with the principle that wage competitiveness must be maintained.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.