Choi Seung-ho, chair of Samsung Electronics Labor Union, leaves a meeting room after attending the third post-mediation session at the National Labor Relations Commission in the Government Complex Sejong on Wednesday. (Yonhap) Samsung Electronics' Labor Union said Wednesday it would proceed with a general strike starting Thursday after last-minute government-mediated talks failed to produce a breakthrough.Union chief Choi Seung-ho said the union had accepted a mediation proposal presented by the National Labor Relations Commission, but negotiations collapsed after management failed to present its position.“The union agreed to the mediation proposal presented by the National Labor Relations Commission, but the post-mediation process came to an end after management delayed its decision and failed to state its position,” Choi said in a statement.“The union will lawfully begin its general strike tomorrow as planned,” he added.Choi said the union would continue efforts to reach an agreement even during the strike.Samsung Electronics also issued a statement expressing regret over the collapse of post-mediation talks, while insisting that accepting the union’s demands could undermine the company’s core management principles.“The company deeply regrets that the post-mediation process has ended,” Samsung said.Samsung said it would continue efforts to resolve the dispute through additional mediation or direct talks with the union, adding that it would not give up dialogue “until the very last moment” to avoid the worst-case scenario.“At no point should a strike take place,” the company said.Samsung argued that a final agreement could not be reached because the union continued to demand what it described as socially unacceptable levels of compensation even for loss-making business units, despite the company having accepted most of the union’s proposals on performance bonuses.“This directly violates the company’s fundamental principle that compensation should follow performance,” Samsung said.The company added that abandoning the principle could negatively affect not only Samsung but also other industries and corporate management practices in Korea.