▲ A court in South Korea (Yonhap)

Samsung Electronics-court

Samsung Electronics, officials ordered to pay compensation for attempt to break up labor union

SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court ordered Samsung Electronics Co., other Samsung affiliates and executives on Friday to pay 130 million won (US$97,509) in compensation in a suit filed against them for attempting to break up a labor union at a Samsung Electronics affiliate.

The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court was made on a compensation suit filed by the Korean Metal Workers' Union in 2020 after several Samsung affiliate officials were convicted over their project to dissolve a labor union at a Samsung Electronics subsidiary.

The court at that time found the officials guilty of carrying out a "greening" project to dissolve a labor union set up in 2013 at Samsung Electronics Service, the after-service arm of Samsung Electronics.

The Korean Metal Workers' Union, the umbrella body of the Samsung service union, had filed a damages suit against Samsung Electronics, current and former officials at Samsung Group, the Korea Enterprises Federation and others.

Holding the defendants liable for the anti-labor activity, the Seoul Central District Court ordered Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics Service, the business lobby group and 21 other current and former Samsung executives to collectively pay 100 million won in compensation.

Fourteen other Samsung affiliates and current and former executives were separately ordered to pay 30 million won in compensation.

The Korean Metal Workers' Union immediately expressed "regrets" over Friday's court ruling, saying its compensation demand of 300 million won was not fully recognized.

"It's regrettable that the court still tends to be lenient about the crime of breaking up labor unions," the union said.

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