Samsung Electronics labor and management began the third post-mediation meeting at 10 a.m. on the 20th. Post-mediation is a system in which the Central Labor Relations Commission mediates both sides after negotiations between labor and management break down. This is the third post-mediation following the first on the 11th–13th and the second on the 19th–20th of this month.
According to the Central Labor Relations Commission that day, the third post-mediation meeting was held at the Government Sejong Complex a day before the general strike announced by the Samsung Group Supra-enterprise Labor Union's Samsung Electronics Chapter. The commission and Samsung Electronics labor and management had initially planned to wrap up post-mediation by 7 p.m. the previous day. However, failing to narrow differences on one issue, the post-mediation was recessed at 12:30 a.m. on the 20th. It resumed 9 hours and 30 minutes later.
Samsung Electronics labor and management were said to be far apart over the allocation ratio of special bonuses by institutional sector. The union reportedly proposed paying 70% of the special bonuses to the semiconductor (DS) institutional sector and dividing the remaining 30% according to the performance of each business institutional sector. Management was said to oppose the idea, noting that even employees in deficit business units within the DS institutional sector—System LSI (semiconductor design) and foundry (contract semiconductor manufacturing)—could pocket bonuses worth hundreds of millions of won, which runs counter to the principle of performance-based pay. Management is reportedly insisting on allocating around 60% of the special bonuses to the DS institutional sector and dividing the remaining 40% by business unit.
Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Group Supra-enterprise Labor Union's Samsung Electronics Chapter, met with reporters before attending the third post-mediation meeting that day and said, "We will do our best until (the post-mediation) ends," adding, "We will make sure the negotiations proceed well."