Samsung Electronics Labor and Management Likely to Resume Talks... "Hope for Swift Resolution of Strike Situation"

"Resumption of Wage Negotiations" Management Proposes "Dialogue" to Union
Jeonsamno Continues General Strike
Rally Scheduled at Giheung Plant on 22nd
Collective Action Also Suggested Near Chairman Lee Jae-yong's Residence

The National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (JeonSamNo), the largest union within Samsung Electronics, is currently conducting a general strike, and it appears that both labor and management will soon resume talks.

At the rally held in front of the main gate of Samsung Electronics Hwaseong Plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, on the 8th, when the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union, Samsung Electronics' largest union, declared a three-day general strike, union members are shouting slogans. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

According to industry sources on the 18th, Samsung Electronics management sent an official letter to JeonSamNo stating, "We hope the strike situation will be resolved promptly and propose resuming talks unconditionally." This was a response to JeonSamNo's letter on the 16th requesting the resumption of wage negotiations.

At that time, JeonSamNo stated, "We sincerely hope that you will come back to negotiations with a sincere proposal," adding, "If you do not respond to wage negotiations by the 19th, more severe production disruptions will be inevitable."

JeonSamNo also announced a rally scheduled for the 22nd at the Giheung plant and hinted at the possibility of collective action near the residence of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

Following the union's expression of willingness to resume negotiations and the management's official proposal to restart talks, both sides are expected to meet face-to-face soon. If the talks take place, it will be the first meeting in 17 days since the roundtable between Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Solutions (DS) Division Jeon Young-hyun, management representatives, and the union on the 1st. This will open a communication opportunity between the two sides ten days after JeonSamNo launched the general strike on the 8th.

If talks resume, attention will focus on whether both sides can break the deadlock in wage negotiations. JeonSamNo is demanding one day of union founding leave, a basic wage increase of 3.5% for all union members, improvements to the performance bonus system, and compensation for economic losses due to the strike. JeonSamNo is continuing an indefinite strike with the goal of causing "production disruptions."

The size of JeonSamNo's rallies has decreased from several thousand on the first day of the strike (union estimates 4,000?5,000; police estimate 3,000) to about 100 recently.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.