Labor commission chief dismisses talk of emergency arbitration over Samsung Electronics general strike as "nonsense"

\r\n\r\n[Financial News] As attention focused on whether the government would invoke emergency arbitration after Samsung Electronics and its labor union failed to reach agreement in their second post-arbitration session on the 20th, one day before the planned general strike, Park Soo-geun, chairman of the National Labor Relations Commission, sharply dismissed the idea as "nonsense." 
 After the second post-arbitration meeting ended that day, Park told reporters that when asked whether he would discuss the possible use of emergency arbitration with Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, he pushed back, saying, "Who is saying that?"
 Over the three-day post-arbitration process that began on the 18th, the Central Labor Commission presented a mediation proposal to Samsung Electronics and its union. The union accepted it, but the company refused to sign, bringing the process to a final collapse and effectively ending the talks. 
 Park said, "Although this mediation did not lead to a final agreement, if the labor and management sides agree and request post-arbitration, we will open mediation at any time and support their negotiations."
 He added that the two sides had failed to narrow their differences on one major issue and, in detail, on about two items.
 Park said, "The union accepted it, but the employer held back and refused to sign. Still, because a settlement must eventually be reached, I told them that if labor and management agree and submit an application, we will respond to post-arbitration at any time, whether at night or on a holiday." 
 When asked when post-arbitration might resume, or whether it could be held again before the general strike, he said, "I don't know. That is something the labor and management sides have to work out themselves."
 Asked whether the union had pushed for a 7-to-3 split in performance bonus distribution, as it had argued, he replied, "I can't talk about the details, but the union made significant concessions on that item."
jhyuk@fnnews.com Kim Jun-hyuk Reporter