The conflict between MSD Korea and its employees belonging to the outgoing GM (general medicine) division is intensifying.
Last Friday, MSD Korea sent out another notice on its voluntary retirement program to all GM division employees.
The email reportedly included a deadline of June 30 for submitting an early retirement program (ERP) application and a request to attend a one-on-one meeting with the company.
However, the employees who received the email were upset with the company's coercive tone in the notice.
The company described the meeting as "part of the duty" and asked employees to note that failure to attend without a valid excuse could result in disciplinary action. The company also emphasized that their jobs will cease to exist after July 31, when the GM division ends, and said it would consider furlough orders and other necessary actions. The company also noted that it is not practical to reassign GM employees to other departments.
To sum up, the company reiterated that nearly 100 employees at the GM division should leave the company.
"The company for which I have worked for over 20 years with my blood and sweat, dedicating all my youth, is now threatening me in this way," an employee said after receiving the email. “It's terrible."
Another employee criticized the company, saying, “The company gave us just 51 days to apply for the ERP, unlike usual cases for voluntary retirement. It also sent out these notifications on the Friday before the weekend. All smacks of malicious intent."
Some industry executives noted that the application period for the voluntary retirement program is usually about two weeks. However, MSD Korea is keeping the application deadline open for a long time and pressuring employees with emails now and then, adding to their anxiety.
“By simultaneously considering the contribution of the GM department to the Januvia portfolio and the closure of the unit on July 31, MSD Korea is conducting a voluntary retirement program and the support program for affected employees from May 12 to June 30,” a company official said.
The official emphasized that during this period, the company would do everything it could to support the employees’ career transition, including exploring external opportunities that will allow them to continue their expertise in the business area. To this end, the official added that individualized interviews are essential to ensure that each employee receives the information and individual counseling they need.
However, the MSD Korea labor union sent a letter to the company immediately after the notification was sent to the general medicine department staff, stating its intention to refuse the meeting.
In early May, the union made clear its refusal to meet one-on-one with the company under the slogan of "defend the right to survive" as soon as the company announced the implementation of the voluntary retirement program.
The union reiterated that the cuts are unacceptable, saying, "The union will continue to fight vigorously with all available resources to defend its members' right to survive and will not participate in any sessions, including one-on-one meetings."
According to the union, 85 members of MSD’s GM division have submitted power of attorney to it, with only one or two having submitted voluntary resignations to the company.
Voluntary retirement applications are usually submitted at the last minute. Even so, considering that most unionists have left their whereabouts to the union, the labor conflict in MSD Korea due to the closure of its GM division closure will likely intensify further, according to industry watchers.