SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Workers at SK hynix are moving to establish a new union spanning production and office employees, with organizers seeking majority representation to strengthen bargaining power at the world's leading high-bandwidth memory maker.
The proposed SK hynix Integrated Labor Union had attracted more than 1,250 members as of Wednesday after its organizing committee filed for official registration on Aug. 8, according to industry sources. The union could formally launch as early as Wednesday.
Organizers aim to recruit about 18,000 members, more than half of SK hynix's roughly 35,000 employees, in an effort to secure majority-union status.
SK hynix currently operates under a multiple-union structure, with three existing unions separately representing production workers in Icheon and Cheongju and technical and office employees. Organizers of the new union argue that the fragmented structure has weakened employees' bargaining leverage with management.
The new group plans to remain independent of South Korea's two major umbrella labor organizations and give individual members equal voting rights on major decisions. It also pledged greater disclosure of negotiations and restrictions on political activities by union leadership.
Profit-sharing is expected to be a key issue. Organizers said they would seek to preserve cash payments under SK hynix's profit-sharing, or PS, scheme and oppose attempts to replace them with shares if such changes require collective employee consent under labor law.
The union has also sought advice from a cross-company union at Samsung Electronics and is considering future cooperation as workers respond to potential changes in profit-linked compensation schemes.
Its immediate influence, however, could be limited. SK hynix is already conducting this year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations with its three existing unions, making it uncertain whether the new organization will be able to formally join the current round of talks.
Organizers said that if direct participation is not possible, they plan to seek observer access to negotiations, disclosure of bargaining developments and other channels to relay employee views.
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