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Samsung Electronics management and its labor union announced that they will continue post-mediation talks until May 20, just one day ahead of the scheduled general strike. The photo shows the mediation room of the National Labor Relations Commission at the Government Complex Sejong, where the post-mediation meeting is being held. / Photo by Reporter Lee Ji-sun

Samsung Electronics management and its labor union failed to reach a definitive agreement on core issues, prompting the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) to step in with a mediation proposal. However, both sides have agreed to extend negotiations for another day, with the NLRC announcing that it will alter the schedule to convene a third round of post-mediation talks on May 20.

The NLRC announced that it adjourned the second round of post-mediation talks—which had stretched late into the previous night—and will resume the session today at 10:00 a.m. with an adjusted schedule. The second round of talks, which began on May 18, was originally scheduled to conclude at 7:00 p.m. on May 19, but negotiations dragged past midnight without a breakthrough.

As management deliberated deeply over a compromise brokered by the commission, NLRC Chairman Park Soo-keun reportedly presented an official mediation proposal to both parties. "One single issue remains unresolved," Chairman Park stated. "Management has agreed to finalize its ultimate stance and bring it to the table." The company plans to review both the joint compromise draft and the commission's mediation proposal before entering the third round of talks.

The union has consistently demanded that bonus payment criteria be formally codified into the collective bargaining agreement, alongside expanding the profit-sharing pool to 15% of operating profits. Conversely, management has pushed back, emphasizing its commitment to performance-based principles and the necessity of differential compensation across business divisions.

Consequently, the standoff is set to persist until just one day before the union’s scheduled general strike on May 21. Nevertheless, the NLRC anticipates that the mediation will not extend past this morning, a timeline intended to allow the union sufficient time to hold a vote should an agreement be struck.

Meanwhile, the government is keeping a close watch on the situation, deeply concerned about the potential economic fallout of a strike at Samsung Electronics. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-gwan stated at the National Assembly today, "The entire nation is concerned about the repercussions of a Samsung Electronics strike." This follows previous remarks from President Lee Jae-myung emphasizing the need for labor-management co-existence, and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who raised the possibility of invoking emergency mediation powers.