Overview
- Negotiators reconvened Tuesday in Sejong after an 11‑hour Monday session produced no deal, with the labor commission saying post‑mediation has no fixed deadline and may include its own proposal.
- The union is pressing for cash bonuses equal to 15% of operating profit with the cap scrapped and the formula written into the contract, while Samsung rejects locking in an uncapped system.
- Writing a fixed bonus formula into a post‑mediation deal would carry the same legal weight as a collective agreement under Korean labor law, which is why institutionalization sits at the core of the dispute.
- The walkout is scheduled for May 21 to June 7, with industry estimates of 30,000 to 40,000 participants and projections that a stoppage could trim 2%–4% of global memory output and take weeks to fully recover.
- A Suwon court will hear Samsung’s request Wednesday to keep safety‑critical staff on the job during any strike, as business groups warn a disruption at the world’s top memory maker could dent supply reliability and investor confidence.