Members of Samsung Electronics’ labor unions hold signs demanding the removal of caps on performance‑based bonuses during a massive rally at the company’s semiconductor production base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, April 23. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Samsung Electronics Labor Union (SELU), the company’s largest labor union, has agreed to resume talks with management next week, ahead of a planned strike set for May 21.

The union said it accepted a renewed mediation request during a tripartite meeting involving Gyeonggi District Employment and Labor Office, Friday, as the office's commissioner strongly recommended resuming the negotiation process, while pledging full government-level support.

“In light of the government’s active commitment and repeated requests, the union decided, after internal review, to participate in an additional negotiation process,” the union said, adding that it made the decision as the delegated authority negotiating for Samsung Electronics labor unions.

However, SELU vowed to press ahead with strike preparations if the outcome fails to satisfy its members, with its leader Choi Seung-ho stressing, “We will move forward with a general strike without hesitation.”

The additional talks are scheduled from Monday to Tuesday.

The request came as Samsung Electronics’ labor coalition faced escalating internal conflict between SELU and smaller unions over claims that the coalition's demands prioritize the company's chip making employees only.

The coalition, composed of SELU's three major unions — National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) and Samsung Electronics Co. Union (SECU) — demanded management remove the cap on performance‑based bonuses and allocate 15 percent of annual operating profit as payouts, threatening to stage a 18-day strike.

However, NSEU, the second-largest union, sent an official letter to SELU on Thursday, demanding an apology over remarks allegedly threatening to exclude certain representatives from collective bargaining talks.

According to NSEU, Choi took issue with certain NSEU representatives’ activities gathering opinions from members of the company's Device Experience (DX) division, which handles smartphones, TVs and other devices, and warned that they could be excluded from the talks if they do not apologize.

Source: Korea Times News