Samsung Faces General Strike Crossroads... Park Sookeun, Central Labor Relations Chairman: "The Two Most Crucial Issues Remain Unresolved"

On the afternoon of May 19, two days before the general strike of the Samsung Electronics labor union, Park Sookeun, Chairman of the Central Labor Relations Commission, stated during the second day of post-mediation talks, "Both labor and management are making concessions," but added, "However, the most crucial one or two issues have yet to be narrowed down."

The two issues mentioned by Chairman Park are believed to be the payment of 15% of operating profit as bonuses and the removal of the cap on bonuses, which is currently set at 50% of annual salary.

Yonhap News

Nevertheless, Chairman Park still saw the possibility of reaching an agreement between labor and management. He said, "There is a chance for an agreement rather than presenting a mediation proposal," and when asked whether a draft for the mediation plan had been prepared, he responded, "Wouldn't it be better if we didn't make one?"

If the gap between the two sides does not narrow further, the Central Labor Relations Commission is expected to propose a mediation plan later in the day. A mediation plan refers to a final compromise proposal created by the mediators after collecting the opinions of both labor and management and reconciling their demands. If the labor and management accept and sign the mediation plan presented by the Central Labor Relations Commission, it carries the same legal effect as a collective agreement.

Meanwhile, the second round of post-mediation talks between labor and management at Samsung Electronics began the previous day and resumed on this day. Previously, the first round of post-mediation failed to reach an agreement and ended without resolution. Subsequently, with the labor union's general strike looming, the Central Labor Relations Commission once again stepped in to mediate directly.

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