May 25, 2026 /SemiMedia/ — Samsung Electronics is facing growing internal tensions after reaching a tentative profit-sharing agreement with its largest labor union, with concerns now emerging over potential disruptions to HBM production and AI-related customer deliveries.

The agreement, reached days before a planned 18-day strike, temporarily avoided a large-scale work stoppage. However, dissatisfaction over bonus distribution has reportedly spread across non-memory and shared business divisions inside Samsung’s semiconductor operations.

Sources said meetings within several non-memory divisions have already been canceled, while delays are increasingly affecting the company’s Test and System Package (TSP) operations, which handle critical backend packaging and testing processes for high-bandwidth memory (HBM).

Industry observers said disruptions in TSP operations could become especially problematic as Samsung ramps up HBM4 production for Nvidia’s next-generation Rubin AI accelerators. Because HBM manufacturing relies heavily on advanced packaging and testing capacity, any slowdown in backend operations could directly limit shipment volumes.

According to people familiar with the matter, internal disagreements over compensation are beginning to delay decision-making on major semiconductor projects. Some employees have also warned that prolonged disruptions in production and validation processes could damage customer relationships and delivery reliability.

The conflict centers on a significant gap in proposed bonus payouts. Under the tentative agreement, employees in Samsung’s memory division are expected to receive bonuses averaging roughly 600 million won, while workers in the company’s Device eXperience (DX) division — which oversees smartphones, TVs and home appliances — would receive about 6 million won.

The agreement allocates stock-based compensation equivalent to 10.5% of semiconductor operating profit, in addition to 1.5% in cash incentives.

The proposal has triggered strong backlash from employees outside the memory business. A smaller union representing DX employees has reportedly filed an injunction request seeking to block collective bargaining by the larger semiconductor-focused union.

At the same time, shareholder advocacy groups in South Korea have warned that profit-linked compensation structures may require shareholder approval under local corporate governance rules.

Union members began electronic voting on the agreement on Friday, with voting scheduled to continue through May 27. The proposal requires participation from more than half of eligible members and majority approval to take effect.

Analysts said voting behavior among roughly 43,000 non-memory employees within Samsung’s Device Solutions division could ultimately determine the outcome, as internal forums continue showing strong opposition to what many workers view as a memory-focused compensation structure.