"General Strike in May": Samsung Electronics Union to Hold Vote on Industrial Action from March 9 to 18

Published 05 Mar.2026 19:32(KST)

Differing Stances on Abolishing the Performance Bonus Cap

The Samsung Electronics labor union will hold a vote on whether to take industrial action starting from March 9, with the goal of staging a general strike in May.

Yonhap News

On March 5, the Samsung Electronics Union Joint Struggle Headquarters announced its plan to conduct a vote on industrial action from March 9 to 18, aiming to secure the legal right to strike (the right to dispute) by mid-March. If a majority of all union members vote in favor, the union intends to hold a general assembly for all members in April and launch a general strike in May.

The Joint Struggle Headquarters stated, "With the goal of a general strike in May, we will continue to expand the number of participants in the dispute and intensify our pressure on management."

Previously, in November of last year, the Joint Struggle Headquarters formed a joint bargaining group consisting of the Samsung Electronics Branch of the Initial Enterprise Union, the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union, and the Samsung Electronics Union Donghaeng. The group has been negotiating wages with management for over three months.

However, after both labor and management reached an impasse regarding the abolition of the performance bonus cap, the union declared a breakdown in negotiations on February 19 and applied for mediation with the Central Labor Relations Commission. At the second mediation session held on March 3, the Commission decided to discontinue the mediation process. Subsequently, the union transformed the joint bargaining group into the Joint Struggle Headquarters and began efforts to secure the legal right to strike.