Samsung & Labor

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Prosecutors say that Samsung Electronics Service Company has been monitoring labor supervisors from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. It’s the latest in a string of allegations of the conglomerate disrupting labor groups. Here are the details.

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"Keep in touch with labor supervisors to sway them." This is a phrase that was written in documents that were seized by prosecutors from Samsung Electronics Service Company on April 6. The documents were intended to make the Labor Ministry believe that Samsung did not meddle in the labor unions of its subsidiaries. The documents also say, "Explain the matter to the police and labor supervisors from the Ministry of Employment and Labor in advance to prepare for possible investigations." In other words, Samsung had its staff contact labor supervisors in advance when unfair labor practices occurred at its subsidiaries. Had the documents been executed, Samsung would have become an accomplice in committing unfair labor practices. There is also evidence that conglomerate attempted to influence the results of the Labor Ministry's labor inspections by having its staff persuade the Ministry that the illegal dispatches of subsidiaries' service technicians were legitimate. Back in 2013, the Labor Ministry concluded after a two-month inspection that the practices were legal despite their controversial nature. But five of the ten inspected subsidiaries had no labor unions. Prosecutors have obtained materials on Samsung's meddling in labor inspections from the labor unions and will soon analyze them.