Banolim refuses to participate in arbitration body
By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics agreed Wednesday with six of the families of former Samsung employees who developed leukemia to appoint Kim Ji-hyung, a former Supreme Court justice, as head of a mediation committee.
"The key point of the proposal by the affected families was the appointment of former Justice Kim as head of the mediation committee that he will form with two other members he will recommend. And we accepted the proposal," Samsung said in a statement.
The three-member arbitration body will handle guidelines on compensation and measures to improve the working conditions at Samsung plants.
However, Banolim, a group of other families, refused to accept the agreement.
"We hope Banolim will join in the mediation committee," Baek Soo-hyun, chief negotiator for the company, told reporters, emerging from the latest round of talks.
The agreement with the majority of the families came nearly six months after Samsung Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said in May that the company was ready to conduct compensation talks through an independent body.
The senior Samsung executive then issued a public apology to those suffering from leukemia and pledged to properly compensate them.
But the underlying conflict with Banolim remains the biggest obstacle as it still refuses to participate in the mediation body.
"The arbitration body's independency is questionable and we think we don't need a separate body for settlements. We never agreed with Samsung for the need of an arbitration unit," said Banolim in a statement.
Samsung was approached by representatives of the six families who wanted to negotiate after previous talks with Banolim failed. The six families were also part of Banolim.
Banolim was demanding that Samsung disclose the list of chemical products being used at its manufacturing plants and widen the scope of compensation to hundreds of Samsung workers ― conditions that Samsung refuses to accept for the time being.
The six left the advocacy group and narrowed their differences with Samsung over suggested compensation proposals.
By Kim Yoo-chul
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| Kim Ji-hyung |
"The key point of the proposal by the affected families was the appointment of former Justice Kim as head of the mediation committee that he will form with two other members he will recommend. And we accepted the proposal," Samsung said in a statement.
The three-member arbitration body will handle guidelines on compensation and measures to improve the working conditions at Samsung plants.
However, Banolim, a group of other families, refused to accept the agreement.
"We hope Banolim will join in the mediation committee," Baek Soo-hyun, chief negotiator for the company, told reporters, emerging from the latest round of talks.
The agreement with the majority of the families came nearly six months after Samsung Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said in May that the company was ready to conduct compensation talks through an independent body.
The senior Samsung executive then issued a public apology to those suffering from leukemia and pledged to properly compensate them.
But the underlying conflict with Banolim remains the biggest obstacle as it still refuses to participate in the mediation body.
"The arbitration body's independency is questionable and we think we don't need a separate body for settlements. We never agreed with Samsung for the need of an arbitration unit," said Banolim in a statement.
Samsung was approached by representatives of the six families who wanted to negotiate after previous talks with Banolim failed. The six families were also part of Banolim.
Banolim was demanding that Samsung disclose the list of chemical products being used at its manufacturing plants and widen the scope of compensation to hundreds of Samsung workers ― conditions that Samsung refuses to accept for the time being.
The six left the advocacy group and narrowed their differences with Samsung over suggested compensation proposals.
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