At 10 a.m. on the 18th, three days before a strike announced by the Samsung Electronics union, the second post-adjustment began at the Central Labor Relations Commission under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), with labor and management representatives attending. Post-adjustment is a session where labor and management draw up a negotiation plan under the commission's mediation. Considering the gravity of the matter as the last chance for talks before a Samsung Electronics strike, Central Labor Relations Commission Chairperson Park Su-keun personally observed the session.
On this day, Choi Seung-ho, Chairperson of the Joint Struggle Headquarters of the Samsung Electronics union, met with reporters as he entered the meeting and said, "Anyway, we have come to post-adjustment," and "We will faithfully participate in this second post-adjustment as well." When reporters asked, "President Lee Jae-myung said that corporate management rights should be respected as much as labor rights; what do you think?" Choi did not say anything.
Samsung Electronics negotiation representatives, Ye Myeong-gu, head of the DS (Device Solutions·semiconductor business) People Team, and Vice President Kim Hyeong-ro, went straight into the conference room without a word. It was reported that Park Su-keun, the Central Labor Relations Commission chairperson, said to a reporter on the way to work, "I will make sure (the Samsung Electronics union) does not go on strike," before going in.
Earlier, the Samsung Electronics union said it would launch a general strike from the 21st to July 7 unless 15% of operating profit is allocated for performance bonuses and the cap on bonuses is removed. This year, operating profit at the Samsung Electronics semiconductor (DS) institutional sector is expected to be 300 trillion won, and they are asking for 45 trillion won as performance bonuses.
Samsung Electronics labor and management held the first post-adjustment at the Central Labor Relations Commission from the 11th to the 13th, but it fell through. As the labor-management conflict continued, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong returned to Korea from an overseas trip on the 16th and issued a public apology. Lee said, "I will face the fierce wind and rain myself and take all the blame." After Lee's apology, labor and management agreed to proceed with a second post-adjustment.
The government said it would consider invoking emergency adjustment powers if the second post-adjustment also collapses. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said in a public statement on the 17th regarding the Samsung Electronics strike, "If the Samsung Electronics strike is feared to cause enormous damage to the national economy, the government will mobilize every possible response measure, including emergency adjustment."
The emergency adjustment mentioned by Kim refers to the "emergency adjustment power" based on Article 76 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. The Minister of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) may invoke the emergency adjustment power when a labor dispute is likely to significantly harm the national economy or endanger the daily lives of the public.
If the emergency adjustment power is invoked, the union must immediately stop industrial action and strikes are banned for 30 days. If strike actions continue during this period, they may be subject to investigation on suspicion of violating the law. For 30 days, labor and management must resume negotiations, and if they fail to reach an agreement, the Central Labor Relations Commission chairperson will decide ex officio to refer the case to arbitration. Once an arbitration plan is issued, labor and management must comply.