Samsung Electronics Labor Talks Run Past Labor Board Deadline

A second round of post-mediation talks between Samsung Electronics Co. and its union continued beyond the deadline set by South Korea's National Labor Relations Commission, extending what had been billed as a final round of negotiations.

Samsung Electronics and the union have been holding a closed-door post-mediation meeting at the government complex in Sejong since the morning of May 19, according to business circles and the labor board. Park Soo-keun, chairman of the National Labor Relations Commission, had said earlier that the talks would conclude by 10:30 p.m. at the latest, either with a settlement or a mediation proposal.

No official result had been announced as of 10:50 p.m. The overrun suggests labor and management were still trying to bridge differences over the remaining issues.

Under the post-mediation process, the labor board presents a compromise proposal if the two sides fail to reach a voluntary agreement. Even if such a proposal is put forward, the negotiations collapse if either side refuses to accept it.

If the talks break down, the Samsung Electronics union is expected to move ahead with the strike it has already announced. This round of post-mediation is widely viewed as the last major turning point in determining whether a full walkout will proceed.

Oh Se-seong, Hankyung.com reporter, sesung@hankyung.com