Samsung Electronics' labor union filed a notice to hold a rally in front of Chairman Lee Jae-yong's residence on the first day of a planned general strike. The dispute over the bonus system has spread beyond the workplace and is intensifying pressure on the founding family.
On the 24th, the cross-company Samsung union said it notified Seoul's Yongsan Police Station that it will hold a rally at 1 p.m. on the 21st of next month in front of Lee's home in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District. The union said about 50 people are expected to attend.
The union has announced an 18-day strike, running from the 21st of next month through June 7. Officials said the gathering is likely to take the form of a press conference announcing the strike plan rather than a large-scale demonstration.
The union is demanding the removal of the bonus cap and payment of bonuses equal to 15% of operating profit. The Samsung Electronics Labor Union Joint Struggle Headquarters held a rally the previous day in front of Samsung’s Pyeongtaek campus in Gyeonggi Province to press management to accept the demands.
The union has been negotiating with management since December over reforms to the bonus system but has not reached an agreement. It says the bonus-calculation criteria are opaque and that one-off payments will not resolve the underlying problems.
