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Samsung Elec, union begin eleventh-hour talks to avert strike, stuck on a key issue

By Thomson Reuters May 19, 2026 | 8:25 PM

SEJONG, South Korea, May 20 (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics’ management and its labour ​union resumed talks ‌on Wednesday with only one day to go before a threatened major strike that ‌could ​deal a ⁠blow to the ⁠chipmaker and disrupt global supply chains.

Amid pressure from the South Korean government and ​industry, the two sides are seeking to ⁠hash out ⁠a deal on bonus ​payments before nearly 48,000 ​workers walk off the job ‌for 18 days on Thursday.

More than 15 hours of talks the previous ⁠day had failed to produce an agreement, as the two ⁠sides ‌were not able ⁠to bridge a gap ​on “the ‌most important issue,” ​government mediator ⁠Park Su-keun said late on Tuesday, without elaborating.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Jack Kim; Editing by ​Edwina Gibbs)