(From left) Yeo Myung-gu, head of the DS Division’s People Team and chief negotiator for Samsung Electronics; Park Soo-geun, chairperson of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC); and Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Electronics Labor Union, enter the NLRC mediation room for the second post-mediation session on the 18th. (Yonhap)
The management and labor union of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. resumed government-led negotiations on performance-based bonuses on Tuesday, drawing attention over whether a final agreement can be reached.
According to industry sources, Samsung Electronics management and labor resumed their second round of closed-door post-mediation talks at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) at the government complex in Sejong at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
The key issue for the second day of talks is whether the NLRC will be able to present an official final mediation proposal to both sides.
A mediation proposal refers to a final compromise draft created after mediators gather the views of both labor and management and reconcile their respective demands.
If both sides accept and sign the proposal presented by the commission, it carries the same legal force as a collective bargaining agreement.
To prepare the mediation proposal, the NLRC actively gathered input from both sides during the post-mediation meeting held on Monday, according to sources.
It sought to narrow differences by presenting various alternatives regarding key issues between the two sides, including the criteria and cap for performance bonus funding.
Park Jeong-beom, head of mediation at the commission who attended the meeting, said on Monday that “both labor and management participated actively. We have heard enough from both sides.”
Asked whether any common ground had been found, he replied, “We are getting there.”
There are hopeful voices suggesting that the talks may be progressing in a somewhat more positive direction compared with the first round of post-mediation meetings held on May 11-12, which ended without agreement.
The meeting on Tuesday is scheduled to run until 7 p.m. However, if discussions continue for an extended period, the meeting could end later than scheduled and may even be extended through Wednesday.
If the talks are extended once again, it would amount to last-minute negotiations on the eve of the strike planned by the union.
The government, concerned over the potential negative impact on the national economy, has mentioned the possibility of invoking emergency arbitration powers to prevent the strike from proceeding.
Labor groups, including the Samsung Electronics union, are strongly opposing the move.
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