SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and its labor union failed to reach an agreement in government-mediated wage talks on Wednesday, one day before a planned strike, as disputes over bonus caps and compensation structures remained unresolved. The union said it would proceed with its planned general strike starting Thursday following the collapse of negotiations.
Above is the timeline leading to the general strike, beginning with the March 18 vote in which 93.1 percent of participating union members approved strike action.
At the heart of the dispute is the cap on bonus payouts, an issue that intensified after rival chipmaker SK hynix removed its bonus ceiling and distributed up to U.S. $477,000 per employee following its record 2025 performance — equivalent to 10 percent of the company’s annual operating profit.
Samsung’s main labor union, which is largely led by semiconductor workers, is demanding that the company allocate 15 percent of annual operating profit to employee bonuses and remove the current payout cap altogether.
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