The long-running dispute between Samsung Electronics and former workers who developed leukemia and other diseases while working at Samsung's semiconductor plants has shown no signs of coming to an end.
On Jan.11, some media outlets reported that the 8-year-long dispute between Samsung Electronics and cancer-stricken workers will be finally settled. However, Samsung Electronics, the Family Committee for Compensation over Leukemia Issue (FCCLI) and Banolim agreed only to measures aimed at preventing recurrence and still differed over the issues of apologies and compensation, according to local civic group Banolim.
The tripartite talks among Samsung Electronics, the FCCLI and Banolim reached agreement over one of the three contentious issues, i.e. measures for preventing recurrence, not the other two. All three parties agreed to sign a final agreement on the issue of anti-recurrence measures on Jan. 12.
Samsung Electronics, the world's top memory chipmaker, says the issues of making apologies and compensation have been already addressed. According to the tech giant, it drew up a detailed compensation plan starting from Sept. 2015 and had one-on-one meetings with 150 or so victims and offered them apologies and compensation. And Samsung says that it is continuously making efforts to remedy the situation.
Banolim says it doesn’t buy what Samsung says because Samsung has disclosed no data whatsoever on what it has actually done for the victims.
Hwang Sang-ki -- a founding member of Banolim and the father of Hwang Yu-mi, a former Samsung worker who died from leukemia in March 2007-- appeared on a CBS radio show titled ‘Kim Hyun-jeong’s News Show’ on Jan. 12 and mentioned: “We only agreed to measures for preventing reoccurrence. Samsung refused to talk about the issues of apologies and compensation, so we have yet to put the other two issues on the negotiating table.”
“Samsung claims that it drew up a compensation plan, about 150 victims applied for compensation and roughly 130 have actually received compensation. However, we have no idea whether 150 actually applied for compensation because Samsung has yet to disclose data substantiating its claims.”
According to Hwang, the victims who Samsung argues received compensation do not belong to the FCCLI or Banolim, so unless Samsung volunteers information that is of evidential value, what Samsung says is nothing but a one-sided argument. Banolim and the FCCLI represent about 60 and 6 victims, respectively.
Banolim says it cannot accept the written apology signed by the head of Samsung Electronics because it lacks sincerity.
“Samsung says roughly 150 victims had applied for compensation and 100 of them have actually received compensation. However, the cancer victims belonging to the FCCLI or Banolim are not among them,” said an official from Banolim.
As for the issue of compensation, Banolim is repeatedly calling on Samsung to set up a public foundation. The three-member mediation committee issued a proposal to ask Samsung to donate 100 billion won to establish a public foundation which takes care of compensation for former Samsung workers or their families and anti-recurrence measures, but their proposal fell on deaf ears, according to Banolim.
Saying no to the committee’s proposal, Samsung raised an in-house fund of 100 billion won in Aug. 2015. Since then, Samsung has been compensating cancer victims.
Some say that Samsung’s reservations about establishing a public foundation stem from its fear of the foundation constantly monitoring and supervising the workings of Samsung Electronics.
