This week's talks seen as last chance to avoid May 21 walkout Members of Samsung Electronics' labor union gather for a rally at the tech giant's Pyeongtaek campus in Gyeonggi Province, April 23. (Yonhap) Samsung Electronics and its labor union are making a final push for a deal this week as a planned May 21 strike threatens to disrupt operations at the world’s largest memory chipmaker.The two sides resumed government-mediated post-mediation talks Monday under the National Labor Relations Commission. As of 3 p.m., no breakthrough had been reached.The negotiations are viewed as the last meaningful chance to avoid an 18-day walkout that could disrupt Samsung’s semiconductor operations and ripple through global chip supply chains.Post-mediation is a follow-up procedure that happens after formal mediation ends if both labor and management agree to continue negotiations. Any agreement reached carries the same legal force as a collective bargaining deal.Samsung and the union failed to reach a compromise during mediation talks in February and March, prompting the labor commission to suspend the process. The two sides later agreed to return to negotiations after the Labor Ministry urged another round of talks.At the center of the dispute is Samsung’s performance-based bonus system.The union is demanding that Samsung abolish the bonus cap and allocate 15 percent of operating profit to a performance bonus pool. Based on projections that Samsung Electronics could post up to 300 trillion won ($204 billion) in annual operating profit this year, some chip division employees could receive nearly 600 million won each under the proposal.Management has offered what it describes as a special compensation package that exceeds rival industry standards, but has rejected institutionalizing the removal of the bonus cap, arguing such a structure would be difficult to sustain.If this week’s talks collapse, Samsung could face only the second strike in its history.The company experienced its first-ever strike in 2024, led by the National Samsung Electronics Union. At the time, the union had roughly 32,000 members. Only about 15 percent participated, limiting the impact on production.This time, the stakes are significantly higher. The broader union coalition now has around 73,000 members, with industry estimates suggesting 30,000 to 40,000 workers could join the strike.The union has warned it will stage a full-scale walkout from May 21 to June 7. Industry estimates suggest the 18-day strike could inflict losses worth tens of trillions of won.JPMorgan Chase recently estimated the dispute could reduce Samsung Electronics’ annual operating profit by more than 40 trillion won.Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said Monday on X that the post-mediation process began following efforts to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.“I thank both labor and management for making the decision,” Kim wrote. “This will not be an easy mediation, but the solution may already be closer than we think.”