Samsung denies union’s mental health allegations

[Photo by MK DB]

Samsung Group firmly denied allegations made by unions regarding mental health issues among its employees, labeling them as a “distortion of the truth” in a rare direct response.

In a statement released on Monday via the group‘s official news channel, Samsung addressed concerns raised by the labor safety and health conditions survey conducted by the Samsung labor union coalition across key electronics subsidiaries, which involved the Korean Metal Workers’ Union and the nationwide Samsung Electronics union. The conglomerate dismissed claims of mental health concerns among its workforce as “a distortion of the truth” and accused the unions of exaggerating responses from a small group of respondents.

The survey reported high rates of sleep disorders and symptoms of depression among the respondents, as well as suggesting that suicidal impulses were about 7.1 to 12.8 times higher compared to the general population. Samsung countered these findings, alleging a tenfold exaggeration compared to actual health checkup results, with some figures inflated even further.

The union coalition surveyed 1,801 employees from four of the conglomerate’s subsidiaries: Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electronics Service Co., Samsung SDI Co., and Samsung Electronics Sales Co. The number of respondents represents about 1.2 percent of the combined workforce at these four companies with over 150,000 employees.

Samsung also criticized the survey‘s methodology, particularly regarding inquiries into cancer and rare diseases, deeming them “ambiguous and subjective.”

In response to concerns about the use of carcinogenic substances in mobile phone manufacturing, Samsung dismissed them as “unscientific fear-mongering. It clarified that the substances in question are widely used essential chemicals both domestically and internationally, and there are strict safety measures for handling them.