Samsung Electronics' unionized workers halt talks with management
Samsung Group’s corporate flag flies in front of its headquarters building in Seoul / Yonhap
Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday they have suspended talks with management three days after resuming negotiations.
"Citing management's lack of sincerity, we have decided to break off negotiations and seek a ruling from a local labor arbitration commission," Choi Seung-ho, who leads the Samsung Electronics unit at the Samsung Group United Union (SGUU), said in a statement.
He said the two sides have failed to reach an agreement on removing a cap on performance-based bonuses.
However, the union hinted at a possible resumption, saying the suspension does not constitute a "breakdown," according to the minutes of Friday's negotiations posted on its website.
The remarks came after three labor unions, including the SGUU and the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), resumed wage talks on Tuesday.
The unionized workers have been demanding that management remove the cap on bonuses and grant a 7 percent wage increase, along with greater transparency in calculating performance-based bonuses.
Last week, the unions said 93.1 percent of their members voted in favor of staging a strike in May in a vote. The three unions have around 90,000 members.