Samsung union wage talks resume Wednesday with 18-day strike looming

Samsung Electronics and its largest labor union returned to the bargaining table Wednesday morning under government mediation, with a threatened 18-day strike set to begin Thursday if negotiations collapse, The Korea Times reported.

The standoff underscores widening divisions over how Samsung should distribute profits from a global AI-driven memory chip boom, even as its foundry division continues to post losses — a split that could shape labor relations across South Korea's semiconductor industry.

The National Labor Relations Commission is mediating the session after talks ran past midnight Tuesday without a resolution, according to The Korea Times. Wednesday's 10 a.m. session was scheduled as a potential final push before the union's strike deadline.

Three issues remain unresolved, The Korea Times reported: whether to eliminate the current bonus ceiling — set at 50 percent of an employee's annual salary — how to divide bonus resources across business divisions, and whether to formally institutionalize the terms in a labor agreement.

The dispute is set against a sharply uneven business picture at Samsung. Its memory division has seen profits climb on surging global demand for chips used in artificial intelligence, while the company's foundry unit — which manufactures semiconductors for outside clients — continues to operate at a loss, according to The Korea Times.

If the union follows through on the 18-day work stoppage, it would rank among the most significant labor actions in Samsung Electronics' history, The Korea Times reported. No individual management or union officials were identified by name in reports of the Tuesday negotiating session.

The Korea Times reported that neither side has disclosed the precise gap in their positions, leaving the outcome of Wednesday's session uncertain as the clock ticks toward the strike deadline.