Samsung wants its union back at the table. The union wants the bonus formula in writing.

"Samsung Electronics sent a letter to its two largest unions on Thursday morning asking them to come back to the negotiating table. Two days of government-mediated talks had collapsed the night before. The strike, called by the National Samsung Electronics Union, is still scheduled for 21 May and is still planned to last 18 days. The union's response, given through representative Choi Seung-ho, was four words long in spirit and one sentence long in practice: there is no reason to continue the dialogue without institutionalisation and transparency."

"Choi was using a phrase rather than a position. The phrase means: put the bonus formula in the employment contract, in numbers, and stop offering one-time payments. What is being fought over is not whether Samsung pays more. Management has already offered a one-time bonus for 2026 and proposed a profit share equal to about 13% of the chip division's operating profit. The union is holding out for 15%, a 7% base wage increase, and removal of the existing cap that keeps performance bonuses at 50% of base salary."

"The gap is small. The principle is not. The reference point sits one company over. SK Hynix agreed last September to remove its bonus cap and allocate 10% of annual operating profit directly to staff, locked in for ten years. With $169bn of projected 2026 operating profit, that arithmetic produces an average bonus of about $477,000 per worker this year and close to $900,000 next year, across roughly 35,000 staff."

Samsung Electronics faces an 18-day strike planned for 21 May after two days of government-mediated talks collapsed. The National Samsung Electronics Union demands institutionalisation and transparency by placing the bonus formula in employment contracts with specific numbers and ending one-time bonus payments. Management has offered a one-time 2026 bonus and proposed profit sharing of about 13% of chip division operating profit. The union seeks 15% profit share, a 7% base wage increase, and removal of a cap limiting performance bonuses to 50% of base salary. The union’s stance is influenced by SK Hynix, which removed its bonus cap and allocated 10% of annual operating profit to staff for ten years.

Read at TNW | Samsung