SEOUL, KOREA - Samsung Electronics offered a "sincerest apology" for the sickness and deaths of some of its workers who contracted leukemia and other disorders from working in its semiconductor plants. It also promised to compensate those affected and their families at an appropriate level. To this, however, Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor Industry (SHARPS) responded that the company must first allow the workers to establish unions as a precondition for further negotiation. It is still unclear whether the seven-year-old dispute will be resolved.

 

Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, held a press conference at the company's headquarters building in Seoul's Gangnam on May 14 and said, "We will accept the demands proposed on the 9th by the families, National Assemblywoman Shim Sang-jung, and SHARPS and make compensations at reasonable levels." "We could have been more diligent in addressing the hardship and sorrow of former employees and the families of the deceased," he added. This is the first time for Samsung to make apologies in any form related to the occupational hazard case.

 

SHARPS commented on May 14 that it welcomes the company's change of heart but insisted that the company accept the 11-item demand the group had requested earlier. SHARPS is a civil society organization advocating workers' health and human rights. The group demanded, as one of the 11 items, that Samsung guarantee SHARPS to audit and supervise whether the company is fulfilling its promises for the next three years.

 

According to a statement published by the organization in its website, "Within six months after the negotiation is completed, Samsung must offer detailed implementation plans for the demand items 3 to 7 and guarantee that we could inspect whether the promises are being fulfilled for the next three years." This is what the advocacy group has asked for since late last year.

 

The demand items 3 to 7 are the following: The company must release information on chemicals and radioactive materials used in the plants in a transparent manner so that the workers applying for workers compensation can use it without restriction; it must allow independent investigators to make a comprehensive examination on chemical and safety/health management status of the plants and publish the results to the public.

 

The company must establish a chemical material safety health board whose members consist of the workers, local residents, and environment, health, and safety professionals; it must conduct a third-party audit once a year on its management of safety/health issues and retiree cancer treatment; and it must not obstruct the workers' attempt to establish trade unions so that they can have full rights to participate in the decision-making process related to safety and health.