Samsung Biologics Labor-Management Talks Fail, Strike Enters Second Day
Samsung Biologics' labor union has launched a strike starting from Labor Day, demanding an average 14% wage increase and a 30 million won incentive. The company has rejected these demands, and the strike could lead to production disruptions and losses of at least 640 billion Korean Won.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 14:28
- 🔍 Collected: May 2, 2026 at 15:01 (33 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 2, 2026 at 16:14 (1h 13m after Collected)
SEOUL, May 2 (CNA) — Samsung Biologics in South Korea has entered its second day of strike action after labor-management negotiations failed. The union is demanding an average 14% wage increase and a 30 million won (approximately NT$645,000) incentive per person, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. The company estimates that the strike could lead to production disruptions and losses of at least 640 billion Korean Won (approximately NT$13.8 billion).
Yonhap News Agency reported today that the Samsung Biologics labor union began its strike yesterday, Labor Day, and plans to continue until May 5. The union stated that approximately 2,800 out of 4,000 members participated on the first day. This strike does not involve collective action but rather methods such as taking annual leave, not working holiday shifts, and stopping work.
In these labor-management negotiations, the Samsung Biologics union is demanding an average 14% wage increase and a 30 million won (approximately NT$645,000) incentive per person. However, the management finds it difficult to accept these demands, considering its ability to pay and the funds needed for future growth.
The two sides held 13 rounds of negotiations from December last year to March this year but failed to reach a consensus, leading the union to launch a strike, which is the first since Samsung Biologics was established in 2011. On the first day of the strike, both sides only confirmed their differing positions, with no further progress.
Samsung Biologics stated, “The union’s demands are realistically difficult to accept, which has made negotiations difficult,” and pointed out, “Especially demands involving personnel rights and management rights are difficult for the company to accept.”
The union, however, countered that “the problem is not that the demands are too high,” but rather that the company failed to propose an acceptable solution for over a month. “Knowing that a strike could cause losses, the company failed to conduct substantive negotiations and responses.” The union emphasized that even if the company fully accepted the union’s main demands, the cost would be lower than the losses, and criticized, “Management should propose revised plans for negotiation, rather than just emphasizing losses.”
The labor and management sides will resume negotiations on May 4 under the mediation of the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office. The company estimates that a full-scale strike could lead to production disruptions, with losses of at least 640 billion Korean Won. Since production is a continuous process, a disruption could lead to protein denaturation, requiring all products to be scrapped, thus resulting in massive losses.
Yonhap News Agency reported today that the Samsung Biologics labor union began its strike yesterday, Labor Day, and plans to continue until May 5. The union stated that approximately 2,800 out of 4,000 members participated on the first day. This strike does not involve collective action but rather methods such as taking annual leave, not working holiday shifts, and stopping work.
In these labor-management negotiations, the Samsung Biologics union is demanding an average 14% wage increase and a 30 million won (approximately NT$645,000) incentive per person. However, the management finds it difficult to accept these demands, considering its ability to pay and the funds needed for future growth.
The two sides held 13 rounds of negotiations from December last year to March this year but failed to reach a consensus, leading the union to launch a strike, which is the first since Samsung Biologics was established in 2011. On the first day of the strike, both sides only confirmed their differing positions, with no further progress.
Samsung Biologics stated, “The union’s demands are realistically difficult to accept, which has made negotiations difficult,” and pointed out, “Especially demands involving personnel rights and management rights are difficult for the company to accept.”
The union, however, countered that “the problem is not that the demands are too high,” but rather that the company failed to propose an acceptable solution for over a month. “Knowing that a strike could cause losses, the company failed to conduct substantive negotiations and responses.” The union emphasized that even if the company fully accepted the union’s main demands, the cost would be lower than the losses, and criticized, “Management should propose revised plans for negotiation, rather than just emphasizing losses.”
The labor and management sides will resume negotiations on May 4 under the mediation of the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office. The company estimates that a full-scale strike could lead to production disruptions, with losses of at least 640 billion Korean Won. Since production is a continuous process, a disruption could lead to protein denaturation, requiring all products to be scrapped, thus resulting in massive losses.