Takeda Pharmaceutical Korea dismissed Kim Young-buk, the leader of Korea Democratic Pharmaceutical Union at the drugmaker, escalating tensions with the trade union.

Unionized workers at Takeda Korea said the company sacked Kim as of Oct. 30.

“This was an unfair dismissal where the management used Kim’s personal situation as a pretext for disciplinary action,” the labor union said.

The management remained silent about the issue, saying any comment on Kim’s dismissal would be leakage of private information.

According to the labor union, Takeda Korea’s head of a division blocked a unionized worker’s personnel appointment in June. In the following month, Kim personally protested it to the division head at a private dining gathering.

During the process, the management took issues with the way Kim protested to the division head and made him wait to be assigned for two months. After a review by the company’s disciplinary commission, the management let Kim go as of Oct. 30.

“Although it is obvious that Kim’ act was not the reason for dismissal, the management forcefully dismissed him. The company’s move apparently aimed to shake the labor union and incapacitate Korea Democratic Pharmaceutical Union’s Takeda Korea branch,” the trade union said.

The union went on to say that employees at Takeda Korea were hearing widespread rumors that the company was trying to sell a business unit.

The management has yet to discuss any issue with the trade union, although much of the talk on the sale of a business division must have already taken place because workers have been saying the names of buying companies, the labor union said.

The labor union said it planned to hold a rally in front of the company’s head office on Thursday, to protest the management’s coercive actions against employees and stop the move to close a business unit.

As for rumors about selling a business unit, the management said, “The company regards the story of a business unit sale as a rumor or speculation. Thus, there is no official comment.”

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