이재명 대통령 "노조, 선넘지 않아야…영업이익 투자자가 배분받는것" President Lee Jae-myung said, "Labor

[정승남세기영어교육연구회장]

이재명 대통령 "노조, 선넘지 않아야…영업이익 투자자가 배분받는것"

President Lee Jae-myung said, "Labor Union should not cross the line...Operating profit should be distributed to investors"​​

(2nd LD) ​President Lee says collective labor action, too, should have 'certain limit'

이재명 대통령은 집단 노동 행동에도 '일정한 한계'가 있어야 한다고 말합니다

송고2026-05-20 15:01 임형섭기자 황윤기기자 연합뉴스

"세금도 떼기 전에 제도적으로 영업이익 나눠갖는 건 투자자도 못해"

파업 목전서 삼성전자 노조 겨냥 '작심 비판'…"노동3권은 약자 보호 위한 것"

이재명 대통령, 국무회의 발언

(서울=연합뉴스) 김도훈 기자 = 이재명 대통령이 20일 청와대에서 열린 국무회의 겸 비상경제점검회의에서 발언하고 있다. 2026.5.20 superdoo82@yna.co.kr

(서울=연합뉴스) 임형섭 황윤기 기자 = 이재명 대통령은 20일 "지금 일부 노동조합이 단결권·단체행동권을 통해 단체교섭을 하면서 자신들의 이익을 관철하기 위해 노력하는 것은 좋은데, 거기에도 적정한 선이 있지 않나"라고 말했다.

President Lee Jae-myung said on the 20th, "It is good for some labor unions to try to carry out their interests by collective bargaining through the right to organize and collective action, but isn't there a proper line there?"

삼성전자 노사의 임금협상이 정부 사후조정 절차에서도 끝내 합의에 이르지 못한 상황에서 노조의 주장에 대해 비판적인 지적을 내놨다는 점에서 주목된다.

예고된 파업이 목전에 닥친 상황에서 노조를 향해 그대로 파업을 실행하기보다는 다른 해법을 찾아볼 것을 압박하는 메시지로도 읽힌다.

이재명 대통령은 이날 청와대에서 주재한 국무회의 겸 비상경제대책회의 모두발언에서 "사회적 약자들을 배려하기 위해 우리가 특별한 보호를 하기도 하지만, 노동3권에도 연대와 책임이라는 아주 중요한 원리가 작동한다"고 지적했다.

이어 "노동3권은 사회적 약자인 노동자를 보호하기 위한 것이지, 몇몇 사람만의 이익을 위해 집단으로 뭔가를 관철해내도록 무력을 준 게 아니다"라고 강조했다.

He then emphasized, "The three labor rights are intended to protect workers who are socially disadvantaged, not to force them to accomplish something as a group for the benefit of only a few people."

또 "기업에는 여러 이해관계인이 관여한다. 노동에 대해서는 정당한 노동의 대가가 보장돼야 하지만, 채권자 역시 채권을 회수할 수 있어야 하고 소비자도 보호해야 하고 연관된 기업 생태계도 보호해야 한다"며 "(자신들만의 이익을 위해) 선을 넘지 않아야 하는 것"이라고 밝혔다.

"There are many stakeholders involved in a company. A fair price for labor should be guaranteed, but creditors should also be able to collect bonds, protect consumers, and protect related business ecosystems," he said. "They should not cross the line (for their own benefit)."

3차 사후조정 회의 마친 최승호 노조위원장

(세종=연합뉴스) 김주성 기자 = 삼성그룹 초기업노동조합 삼성전자지부 최승호 위원장이 20일 정부세종청사 중앙노동위원회에서 총파업 예고 시점을 하루 앞두고 열린 3차 사후조정 회의를 마친 후 이동하고 있다. 2026.5.20 [공동취재] utzza@yna.co.kr

특히 "투자자들의 경우 위험과 손실을 부담했으니 당연히 이익을 나눠 갖는 권한을 갖는다. 영업이익을 배분받는 건 투자자와 주주"라고 설명했다.

In particular, he explained, "Investors bear risks and losses, so they naturally have the right to share profits. It is investors and shareholders who receive operating profit."

그러면서 "정부도 세금을 깎아주기도 하고 시설을 지원해주고, 제도를 정비하거나 외교적 노력을 통해 특정 기업의 성장과 발전에 기여한다"며 "이 국민 공동의 몫이라고 할 수 있는 세금도 떼기 전에 영업이익을 일정 비율로 제도적으로 나눠 갖는 것은 투자자도 할 수 없는 일"이라고 말했다.

"The government also cuts taxes, supports facilities, and contributes to the growth and development of certain companies through reorganization of systems or diplomatic efforts," he said. "It is not even possible for investors to systematically share operating profits at a certain percentage before removing taxes, which can be said to be the common share of the people."

이재명 대통령은 "투자자도 세금을 떼고 배당을 받지 않나"라며 "저로서는 이해가 되지 않는다"고 거듭 비판했다.

President Lee Jae-myung repeatedly criticized, saying, "Investors don't take taxes and receive dividends," adding, "I don't understand."

이어 "결국 이 모든 조정의 최종 책임은 정부에 있다"며 "사회 구성원들이 적정한 선을 지키고 그 안에서 자신들의 권리와 표현을 하도록 하는 게 정부의 역할"이라고 강조했다.

"In the end, the government is ultimately responsible for all these adjustments," he said. "The government's role is to ensure that members of society keep an appropriate line and express their rights and expressions within it."

hysup@yna.co.kr

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(2nd LD) President Lee says collective labor action, too, should have 'certain limit'

Park Boram Politics 16:07 May 20, 2026 Yonhap News

(ATTN: UPDATES with more remarks, background in paras 5-8, photo)
​
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday that collective actions by labor unions should remain within "certain limits" and do not cause "serious pain" to others.
​
Lee made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting after last-minute wage negotiations between Samsung Electronics Co. and its labor union broke down, only a day before the union's planned general strike.
​
"It is all good for certain labor unions to ... pursue their interests through their right to collective action, but there must be certain limits to it," Lee said.
​
He said the right to collective action should not be abused or exercised in a way that causes "serious harm" to others, adding that it may be the government's role to help members of society observe those limits and to fulfill its responsibilities when the limits are crossed.
​

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
​
The president stressed the three fundamental labor rights -- freedom of association, collective bargaining and collective action -- are intended to protect workers as socially vulnerable members, rather than to serve as a means for a few people to pursue their own interests.
​
Alongside workers' rights to fair compensation, creditors should also be able to recover their investments, while consumers and the broader business ecosystem involving related companies should also be protected, he noted.
​
The president added the government also contributes to companies' operating profits by cutting taxes, providing facility support, revising institutions and engaging in diplomacy.
​
"It would be impossible even for investors to take a certain share of operating profits that could otherwise be considered the collective share of the public through systemic arrangements, even before tax is deducted," he said in an apparent reference to the Samsung labor union's demand that a fixed portion of operating profits be set aside for bonuses.
​
The presidential office earlier expressed "deep regret" after the last-ditch government-mediated negotiations over bonuses linked to Samsung's record-high earnings collapsed, urging both sides to continue efforts to the end to divert the planned strike, which many say may be devastating not only to the company but to the entire nation.
​
"We deeply regret the breakdown of the post-mediation process by the National Labor Relations Commission," Cheong Wa Dae said in a release.
"We urge (both parties) to do their utmost, at least until the final deadline, to reach a labor-management agreement, taking into account concerns over the potential impact on the Korean economy," it added.
​
After the latest round of negotiations fell through, the labor union said it stage the strike on Thursday as planned.
​
The union has been demanding performance-based bonuses tied to earnings from the tech giant's artificial intelligence (AI)-related semiconductor business amid the ongoing global memory supercycle.
​
The company has said that it would allow bonuses equal to 10 percent of operating profit, while the union is demanding fixed performance bonuses equivalent to 15 percent of the outperforming semiconductor division's operating profit.
​
Industry officials had warned of the astronomical impact a full-scale strike could have on the broader South Korean economy, with estimated losses reaching up to 100 trillion won (US$66.98 billion).
​
Many see a lingering chance of a possible breakthrough before the threatened strike begins, as the government has raised the possibility of invoking an emergency adjustment measure that would suspend the strike for up to 30 days if it is deemed likely to seriously harm the national economy or disrupt the daily lives of citizens.
​

This photo, taken May 17, 2026, shows the headquarters of Samsung Electronics Co., a day before its labor union resumed government-led mediation talks ahead of a major planned strike. (Yonhap)
​
graceoh@yna.co.kr
​
(END)

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