▲ In this file photo, members of Samsung Electronics Co.'s labor union hold a press conference in front of the company's office in southern Seoul on April 17, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) Samsung Electronics-strike

(LEAD) Samsung Electronics' labor union, management to hold follow-up wage talks next week

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from 6th para)

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co.'s labor union said Friday it will resume negotiations with management next week after an initial round of talks broke down over bonuses.

The announcement comes as unionized workers have threatened to go on strike later this month.

The tech giant's largest labor union said it will enter follow-up mediation procedures on Monday and Tuesday, after accepting the government's request to continue talks with management to narrow differences over outstanding issues.

The union earlier announced plans to stage an 18-day general strike from May 21 if its demands for higher performance-based bonuses are not met.

Choi Seung-ho, head of the main labor union, warned that the union will move ahead with its walkout if the planned talks fail to produce satisfactory results.

The decision to give talks another try is the result of consultations carried out between the labor union, government mediators and management.

The government side is said to have strongly recommended follow-up mediation, a procedure conducted after the formal labor dispute adjustment process ends and the union secures the legal basis to go on strike.

Management and the labor union have been engaged in wage negotiations since December, but talks broke down in March after the two sides failed to narrow differences over performance-based bonuses.

The labor dispute at Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker and South Korea's most valuable company, has raised concerns that a walkout could disrupt production and upend the semiconductor supply chain as well as hurt the broader economy as a whole.

Some estimates suggest the South Korean tech giant could suffer up to 30 trillion won (US$20.3 billion) in losses if the strike actually takes place.

Last month, Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 57.23 trillion won for the first quarter, up from 6.68 trillion won a year earlier, driven by strong demand for high-end memory chips used in artificial intelligence applications.

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