SEOUL, May 19 (AJP) - As Samsung Electronics and its union entered the crucial final hours of government-mediated talks on Tuesday, South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan made an urgent public plea for a resolution to avert a massive strike.
Speaking at a parliamentary committee meeting, Kim expressed a "desperate need" to prevent the 18-day walkout scheduled to begin Thursday. "If we cannot resolve this when everyone knows the negative impacts of a strike, what can our society achieve going forward?" Kim stated, urging both sides to reach a dramatic last-minute settlement.
The minister attributed the current deadlock partly to Samsung's relatively short history of labor-management dialogue compared to other legacy manufacturers. However, he carefully refrained from commenting on specific negotiation terms to avoid interfering with the ongoing, closed-door National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) mediation in Sejong.
The remarks come as the high-stakes arbitration enters its final stretch. The National Labor Relations Commission is expected to announce the outcome of the mediation later this evening, which will determine whether the historic walkout proceeds as planned.
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