Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon met with Samsung Electronics executives on Thursday to discuss a planned general strike by the company's union, signaling the government's intent to narrow gaps between management and labor after repeated breakdowns in negotiations.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said in a notice to reporters that "Minister Kim met with Samsung Electronics management today for about an hour."
"Minister Kim explained to management the content of yesterday's meeting with the union and the government's position, and urged the company to actively engage in dialogue to resolve the issue," the ministry said.
A day earlier, Kim met with Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the Samsung Electronics chapter of the Samsung Group Supra-Enterprise Union, the largest union at Samsung Electronics.
In the current negotiations, the union is demanding a fixed performance bonus equivalent to 15 percent of operating profit and the institutionalization of removing the bonus ceiling. Management, however, maintains that the existing system should be preserved, arguing that flexible institutionalization is possible through special awards without a cap. The two sides remain on parallel tracks.
The union plans to stage an 18-day general strike from the 21st through the 7th of next month. The union expects up to about 50,000 members to participate.
