Samsung Electronics sent an official letter to the labor union on the 15th proposing to "meet again and talk without conditions." The union said it would agree to talks after the strike ends.
Samsung Electronics had told the union the previous day, "During the post-mediation process recently conducted by the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC), both labor and management conveyed their respective views but failed to reach an agreement. We propose that labor and management talk directly." The union replied the same day to management, saying, "If you want labor-management talks, please present a concrete plan for making performance bonuses (OPI) transparent, abolishing the cap, and institutionalizing the system." The union also said, "If we confirm the company's clear willingness to talk, we will engage in talks," and requested, "Have the CEO respond directly by 10 a.m. on the 15th."
Management sent a reply letter on the deadline the union set. In the letter, Samsung Electronics said, "In the NLRC mediation in March, the company proposed a 'transparency plan' under which the funding base for the existing excess profit performance bonus (OPI) system would be chosen between 10% of operating profit and 20% of economic value added (EVA)," and added, "Regarding the demands for institutionalization and abolishing the cap, while maintaining the existing OPI system, we proposed a more flexible institutionalization plan by additionally creating a 'special compensation system' with no cap."
It added, "In response to the hopes of employees, shareholders, and the public for a settlement, we again propose to meet and talk without conditions," and said, "The company will enter consultations with an open attitude."
Choi Seung-ho, Chairperson of the Samsung Group supra-company labor union's Samsung Electronics chapter (supra-company union), said of the company's letter, "We are willing to consult after June 7," and noted, "We intend to carry out the rights guaranteed by the Constitution." In effect, the union made clear it will enter talks with management after the general strike.
The Samsung Electronics union has announced it will launch an 18-day general strike from the 21st to July 7, demanding that performance bonuses be funded with 15% of operating profit and that the abolition of the cap be institutionalized. In response, labor and management at Samsung Electronics held post-mediation at the NLRC located in the Government Sejong Complex from the morning of the 11th until the early hours of the 13th. The post-mediation conducted through government arbitration broke down at the union's request to halt it. After the breakdown, the union effectively rejected management's proposal for "direct talks," saying it would respond after the strike. As a result, the likelihood of the Samsung Electronics union pressing ahead with the general strike is increasingly certain.