Last-ditch talks underway as Samsung races to avert 18-day strike

Samsung Electronics’ labor and management continued their negotiations in a government-arranged mediation session on Tuesday, which could be the last chance for a wage agreement before union members stage an 18-day strike on Thursday. With the government poised to invoke a compulsory arbitration measure that can suspend the strike, labor, management and the government were exploring a compromise plan, with the allocation of the semiconductor division’s performance bonuses between the memory and foundry businesses remaining a key point of contention. National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) Commissioner Park Su-keun told reporters that “the gap between labor and management is somewhat narrowing.” “We (the NLRC) will first see whether the two sides can ultimately reach an agreement, and if that is difficult, the government will present a mediation proposal,” Park said. “There is still a possibility of a settlement.” According to sources, one of the remaining points of contention is the allocation of the chipmaking Device Solutions (DS) Division’s performance bonuses. So

Original source: Korea Times