Choi Seung-ho (L), head of Samsung Electronics Co.'s largest labor union, speaks to reporters after attending the third government-led mediation talks with management at the National Labor Relations Commission office in Sejong on Wednesday. Photo by Yonhap
Last-minute wage talks between Samsung Electronics Co. and its largest labor union were held Wednesday, with South Korea's labor minister personally mediating negotiations as unionized workers prepared to stage a major strike at the world's largest memory chipmaker.
About 48,000 workers are set to walk off the job for 18 days starting Thursday after management rejected a mediation proposal that the union had accepted following the latest round of government-mediated negotiations earlier in the day.
Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon resumed the talks at 4 p.m. The latest negotiations differ from previous mediation efforts and are not intended to produce a binding arbitration proposal.
The meeting raises the question of whether or not the government will issue an emergency arbitration order, as officials have raised concerns about potential losses to South Korea's export-dependent economy and the possible impact on the global chip supply chain.
