Samsung labor and management face final talks over strike threat

May 18, 2026, 08:02 am

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Samsung Electronics’ Seocho headquarters in Seoul on May 17. Samsung Electronics management and labor are set to hold a second post-mediation meeting at the National Labor Relations Commission on May 18. /Yonhap

Samsung Electronics management and its labor union will return to the negotiating table on May 18, just three days before a planned general strike, in what is being viewed as a last-ditch effort to avoid a major disruption at South Korea’s largest company.

The talks will take place at around 10 a.m. at the National Labor Relations Commission in Sejong, according to Samsung Electronics, the union and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The negotiations have drawn nationwide attention after Lee Jae-yong issued a rare public appeal urging dialogue. The government also released a special statement aimed at calming public concerns over the escalating labor dispute.

The union had previously refused further negotiations before launching a strike, citing unresolved disagreements over the company’s bonus structure. Key demands include institutionalizing a system that allocates 15% of operating profit to bonus funding and removing payout caps.

However, the union agreed to resume talks after Lee called for unity while returning from an overseas business trip on May 16.

“We are one body, one family,” Lee said in a message addressed to union members and Samsung employees. “This is the time to wisely combine our strengths and move forward together in one direction.”

Samsung also replaced its lead negotiator at the union’s request. The company’s representative was changed from Kim Hyeong-ro, Vice President of the Device Solutions (DS) Division People Team, to Yeo Myeong-gu, head of the DS Division People Team.

Choi Seung-ho, chairman of Samsung Electronics’ largest labor union, said after an unofficial meeting with Yeo that management’s stance had shifted after the government mentioned the possibility of emergency mediation.

“If management presents the same position as before during the post-mediation talks, we will not reach an agreement,” Choi said.

Business circles are increasingly calling on both sides to compromise in what could become the final round of negotiations before a strike.

Industry observers say Samsung may need to provide greater transparency regarding how bonuses are calculated and funded, while the union may also need to consider more realistic alternatives to its demand for an operating profit-based formula.

A business industry official said the union’s insistence on tying bonuses to operating profit largely stems from distrust over the current opaque system.

“Even if the company does not fully adopt an operating profit-based formula, the union should remain open to alternatives that improve transparency and predictability in bonus calculations,” the official said.

#Samsung Electronics #labor union #strike #National Labor Relations Commission #Lee Jae-yong