English translation of the original Korean report. Images and source documents may contain Korean text.

ASML Korea Union Demands Two-Person Work Teams and Improved Nighttime Call-Out Procedures at Samsung Electronics; Donghaeng Union Expresses Concern Over Formation of New Unions

Samsung Electronics is simultaneously facing demands for labor safety negotiations between the principal contractor and subcontractors at its semiconductor production sites and conflicts among its in-house labor unions. The union representing the Korean subsidiary of ASML, the world’s largest lithography equipment manufacturer, has requested direct negotiations with Samsung Electronics to improve working conditions, while the Samsung Electronics Labor Union Donghaeng has urged that conflicts within existing unions be resolved first following news of the formation of a seventh union.

According to separate statements issued on the 13th by the ASML KOREA Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions-affiliated Korean Chemical, Textile and Food Workers’ Union and the Samsung Electronics Labor Union Donghaeng, the ASML KOREA Branch formally sent Samsung Electronics an official letter requesting ‘principal contractor-subcontractor negotiations on labor safety and improvements to the working environment.’ On the same day, Donghaeng issued an official statement expressing concern over reports of the establishment of a seventh union, the ‘Samsung Electronics Gwangju Labor Union,’ following the sixth union.

The ASML KOREA Branch claimed that the expansion of semiconductor production and pressure to increase manufacturing capacity amid the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) technology have sharply intensified workloads at production sites and increased the risk of industrial accidents. The union maintains that Samsung Electronics, which holds effective decision-making authority over working environments, safety rules, access facilities and work schedule approvals at semiconductor manufacturing facilities, should engage in direct negotiations.

The union’s proposals comprise six workplace safety demands and five improvements to working conditions. They include mandatory minimum rest periods during continuous work, expanded rest areas exclusively for subcontractor employees inside semiconductor fabrication facilities (fabs), avoiding regularly scheduled work between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., and mandatory two-person teams for high-risk tasks.

The union also plans to demand that subcontractor union representatives be allowed to participate in joint investigations by principal contractors and subcontractors when incidents involving abuse of authority, workplace harassment or sexual harassment by principal contractor employees occur, and to participate in or observe disciplinary proceedings. It also proposed establishing standards for nighttime emergency on-call procedures for personnel other than shift workers and prioritizing remote assistance through the Global Support Center when unexpected equipment failures occur.

Yoon Chun-ho, head of the ASML KOREA Branch, said, ‘Samsung Electronics, as the principal contractor, holds effective decision-making authority over on-site working conditions, including the working environment, safety rules, access infrastructure and work schedule approvals inside semiconductor cleanrooms (fabs).’ He added, ‘A technological lead that does not guarantee the safety and health rights of workers on the ground is nothing more than a castle built on sand.’

■ Donghaeng Voices Concern Over ‘Internal Conflict and Division’ Following Emergence of Seventh Union, Also Raises Allegations Involving Union Chairman

Conflicts surrounding the establishment of new labor unions continue within Samsung Electronics. In its official statement that day, Donghaeng referred to reports of a seventh union being established after the sixth, saying that ‘the establishment and choice of a labor union are legitimate rights guaranteed to workers,’ while expressing regret that internal conflict and division within the supra-enterprise union have come to the fore.

Donghaeng claimed that controversy had arisen over the exclusion of executive members from the Device eXperience (DX) Division, which oversees home appliances, mobile devices and other businesses, during the supra-enterprise union’s organizational restructuring centered on the semiconductor-focused Device Solutions (DS) Division, and that questions continued to be raised about decision-making dominated by the chairman. It also referred to the referral of Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the supra-enterprise union, to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the Personal Information Protection Act, and raised allegations involving contracts with a company connected to his family and the use of union dues payment cards. However, Donghaeng stated that allegations alone do not establish unlawful conduct and that the matters must be judged through due legal process.

Donghaeng emphasized that the issue of the DX Division’s exclusion raised during the 2026 wage negotiations must be resolved and that a bargaining framework should be established in 2027 to ensure the views of all business divisions are fairly represented. Donghaeng said it ‘does not oppose the establishment of other labor unions’ and pledged to focus on protecting employees’ rights and interests and securing fair compensation rather than on conflicts among unions.