SK hynix shares surge by the daily maximum of 29.95 percent to finish at 1,718,000 won, as displayed at Hana Bank’s headquarters dealing room in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap) SK hynix, whose profit-linked bonus formula helped trigger similar demands across South Korean industry, is now testing whether mandatory stock compensation could become the next model to spread.The chipmaker and its union will hold a fifth round of wage talks Tuesday at its campus in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Minutes of the previous session released by the union show that management maintained a proposal to pay well over half of the annual profit-sharing award in shares and restrict their sale for a set period.The talks mark a new phase in a debate SK hynix helped start. Under a 2025 agreement, the company allocates 10 percent of annual operating profit to its profit-sharing pool, known as PS. The deal removed a 1,000 percent of base-salary ceiling and set the formula for 10 years. Eighty percent is paid for the relevant year, with the remainder deferred over two years.The formula soon became an industry benchmark. Samsung Electronics workers pressed for a fixed profit-linked bonus, while similar demands gained momentum at major automotive and shipbuilding companies.SK hynix is now seeking to change how its award is delivered. According to the union-released minutes, management said a “sustainable” system capable of gaining wider stakeholder support was needed. It also maintained a proposal to temporarily adjust wages when the company posts a loss, though the mechanism remains undisclosed.The union said the proposals would undermine last year’s agreement and make employees bear “the risk of share-price fluctuations.” It has warned of further action unless management presents a revised offer Tuesday.Recent trading has made that risk concrete. SK hynix shares fell 55.7 percent from an intraday record of 2.987 million won ($2,000) on June 25 to 1.322 million won on Thursday, then surged by the 29.95 percent daily limit to 1.718 million won on Friday.Employees can already choose to convert 10 percent to 50 percent of PS into shares, receiving a 15 percent cash premium after holding them for one year. The new proposal would make shares compulsory for most of the award.The stakes have risen with earnings. SK hynix reported Wednesday that second-quarter operating profit reached 60.54 trillion won, up 557.2 percent from a year earlier.The closest precedent grew from the same chain reaction. Samsung’s labor agreement in May, reached after demands influenced by SK hynix’s formula, created a separate semiconductor bonus paid entirely in treasury shares.That model is now feeding back into SK hynix. Samsung designed stock payment into a new bonus, while SK hynix is seeking to alter the payment terms of an existing 10-year agreement.