Government proposes renewed talks five days before Samsung Electronics general strike; company also says, "Let's talk directly"

\r\n[Financial News] The government formally asked Samsung Electronics and its labor union on the 14th, one week before the union's general strike, to resume post-mediation. The proposal calls for restarting the mediation process on the 16th, five days before the strike, after it ended on the 13th. With some raising the possibility of an Emergency arbitration order, the move is seen as an effort to encourage labor-management talks. Samsung Electronics also asked the union for further dialogue, drawing attention to whether the two sides can set up a negotiation table in some form before the strike date of the 21st.
The National Labor Relations Commission officially asked Samsung Electronics and its labor union on the 14th to resume a post-mediation meeting on the 16th. It is a proposal to reopen talks before the general strike, following the breakdown of post-mediation on the 13th after the union rejected the mediation proposal.
Post-mediation is not limited by the number of sessions or by a deadline, so it can be resumed at any time if both sides agree. It may begin in cases such as a request from both labor and management, a request from one side followed by the other side's consent, or a recommendation from the Central Labor Commission followed by the parties' consent.
As the possibility of the labor union pushing ahead with a general strike and the breakdown of labor-management dialogue grew, the Central Labor Commission appears to have taken a more active role in restarting post-mediation. With the Emergency arbitration order, which would ban strikes for 30 days, being discussed, the move is seen as putting into practice the government's position that dialogue should come first.
The commission explained, "To peacefully resolve the differences between labor and management, we recommended once again that both sides hold a second post-mediation meeting for sincere dialogue and substantive negotiations."
If both sides accept the commission's request, Samsung Electronics, its labor union, and the commission will hold renewed talks five days before the general strike date of the 21st. The key question is whether the union, which has maintained that there will be no further talks with management before the strike since the post-mediation collapsed on the 13th, will accept the proposal.
The company also sent a written request to the union for further talks on the same day.
Samsung Electronics said in the letter, "During the recent post-mediation process led by the Central Labor Commission, both labor and management presented their views, but no agreement was reached." It added, "Accordingly, the company proposes that labor and management hold direct talks." The move appears to be a proposal for voluntary negotiations with the union.
In response, the Samsung Electronics supra-enterprise labor union has maintained its position that there is no reason to talk unless the performance bonus system is institutionalized and made transparent.
jhyuk@fnnews.com Kim Jun-hyuk Reporter