hankyoreh

By Jeon Jong-hwi, staff reporter

Banollim, a watchdog group working on behalf of the families of leukemia victims at Samsung Electronics, sent a message of tentative welcome on May 14 to the company’s apology and offer of compensation.

Samsung Electronics also agreed to recognize Banollim as a partner in negotiations, which it proposed starting in the near future.

“We welcome the fact that Samsung is acknowledging the existence of victimized workers and the way it has neglected their suffering to date, and we welcome it saying that it intends to resolve the situation in good faith by offering compensation and taking preventive measures,” Banollim said in response to Samsung’s decision.

“We look forward to Samsung approaching the resolution even more sincerely,” the group added, suggesting that the negotiations halted in December of last year should be resumed as quickly as possible. It also requested that it be explicitly recognized as a party to the negotiations.

Prospects are not entirely bright, with Samsung’s repeated proposals to hold dialogue through a “third-party mediator” posing a particular obstacle. Banollim and Samsung held five rounds of working-level negotiations last year, which finally broke down when Samsung demanded dialogue with victims and their families rather than speaking directly to the watchdog group. When Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung proposed forming a third-party body last month, Banollim objected that the method would ignore the wishes of the victims and their families.

“Banollim hasn’t changed its position that direct negotiation should be a priority,” said Banollim labor attorney Lee Jong-ran in a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh.

“It doesn’t make sense for either Samsung or Banollim to be left out of the talks.”

“If Samsung says it is necessary during the two-party negotiations, and if it’s not something where both sides are ruled out, then we can talk about [using third-party mediation],” Lee continued. “But we can’t talk about what we will or will not accept right now when nothing’s been decided.”

The concern is that if families speak directly to Samsung, some of Banollim’s key demands, including steps to prevent future occupational diseases, may be ignored.

Hwang Sang-gi, whose late daughter Yu-mi was the first to raise the issue of leukemia among Samsung Electronics workers in 2007, said he had “never considered” negotiating individually.

“Samsung can’t be allowed to just buy people off one by one,” he said. “If Samsung wants this situation resolved quickly, it needs to talk to Banollim and set a date for negotiation.”

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