Shortly before the start of the third week of the strike, Samsung management demands: “Let’s talk”

As I reported, Samsung’s largest union, the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), with over 30,000 members, has started a strike against one of the largest employers in all of South Korea. This is not an everyday occurrence in Asia and it is the first major strike Samsung has ever led. always experience.

Now, after two weeks of continuous work stoppage, Samsung management has finally signaled to the union that it is interested in resuming negotiations – a major victory for union leaders.

More on the first union-organized work stoppage at Samsung

Bloomberg news agency reports that after two weeks of continuous work stoppages and stalled negotiations, the situation looked grim. But on the eve of the start of the third week of the strike, Samsung management finally turned to the union again and agreed to resume negotiations.

A big victory for the union leadership

This is a major victory for the union leadership, which called the strike and convinced thousands of its members to walk out without pay. Then management rebuffed the union by refusing to negotiate after a first round of talks failed to produce an agreement.

However, both sides are under pressure to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. In the union’s case, members’ financial difficulties are only getting worse over time. In Samsung’s case, the company’s chip division has fallen behind the competition – and the work stoppage only delays the company’s ability to get back on track and catch up with the competition.

Strike could spread to other Samsung locations

Samsung is also concerned about the possibility that the union may try to increase pressure further by expanding the strike to more Samsung sites, which would further limit production and hurt the company’s financial performance. It is clear that both sides have a vested interest in ending the strike and getting the thousands of participating NSEU members back on the production line.

According to Bloomberg, the first step to resuming cooperation will be for Samsung executives to meet with union leaders to set the framework and timetable for negotiations on issues such as wages, vacation days and bonuses.

Once all parties are back at the negotiating table, there is an opportunity to work towards a compromise solution that best meets the needs of both sides.

Learn more about Samsung at samsung.com (US website).

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