SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - In a bid to mediate a labor dispute that threatens an unprecedented general strike of Samsung Electronics workers, South Korean Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon is scheduled to meet with Samsung executives as early as Saturday. The move follows a high-level meeting between the minister and union leadership to discuss demands that could fundamentally reshape the company's compensation structure.
The National Samsung Electronics Union plans to launch an 18-day strike from May 21 to June 7. Union officials expect approximately 50,000 members to participate in what would be the largest labor action in the history of the world's top memory chip maker.
Minister Kim Young-hoon met with Choi Seung-ho, the chairman of the Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group Supra-Enterprise Labor Union, on Friday to hear worker grievances. The union requested the government's help in replacing the company's lead negotiator, Vice President Kim Hyung-ro, and pushing for a substantial shift in management's bargaining position.
Labor representatives have criticized Vice President Kim Hyung-ro for allegedly lacking a deep understanding of the semiconductor industry. They specifically pointed to his previous comments regarding the company's projected operating profit reaching 200 trillion won as evidence that he is unfit to lead the negotiations.
The core of the deadlock is the union's demand for a fixed performance bonus equal to 15 percent of the company's operating profit. They are also seeking the institutionalization of a system that removes the existing upper limits on performance-based payouts.
Samsung management has proposed maintaining the current bonus system while offering uncapped special rewards to allow for more flexible compensation. Despite several rounds of talks, the two sides have remained on parallel tracks without reaching a compromise.
According to the Samsung Electronics corporate history, the company maintained a strict non-union policy for more than 50 years until it was officially abolished in 2020. This current escalation is viewed as a critical test for the company's evolving labor relations framework.
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