The first labor union has been formed at Samsung Electronics Co., according to a company official and industry sources on Thursday, as prosecutors widen a probe into the company’s alleged sabotage of efforts to form a labor union.



Two Samsung Electronics employees submitted a labor union establishment application to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.



The ministry’s branch office in Anyang, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul, approved the application in February, industry sources said.







(Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)



The ministry notified Samsung Electronics in March that it approved the labor union, a company official said.



It is unclear how many members belong to the union of Samsung Electronics.



Samsung Electronics is the crown jewel of Samsung Group, which has been criticized by labor activists and some politicians for its treatment of workers who try to unionize.



Excluding Samsung Electronics, there are only eight affiliates of Samsung Group that have labor unions.



Last week, prosecutors raided the main headquarters of Samsung Electronics as part of its widening investigation into the company’s alleged anti-union activities.



Prosecutors have been investigating allegations that the company has run an organized scheme aimed at hampering the establishment of a labor union and its activities at its after-services arm, Samsung Electronics Service.



The probe is expanding to look into whether the company’s leadership, including the now-disbanded Samsung Group control tower, was involved in the sabotage. (Yonhap)