Samsung Electronics, striking labor union set to resume talks

Samsung Electronics Co. and its largest labor union are set to resume talks Friday, as the union has been on a strike since early last week over a wage hike, a source close to the matter said. The management of Samsung Electronics sent a letter Thursday to the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), suggesting an "unconditional resumption of talks," according to the source. This response follows the NSEU's dialogue offer Tuesday, which asked the company to return to the negotiation table with sincere proposals. The upcoming talks will be the first since the union declared a general strike July 8, threatening to disrupt the company's production. During the meeting, both sides will review each other's proposals and requests and set schedules for further negotiations, sources said. The NSEU's demands for the general strike include a 5.6 percent basic pay raise for all members, a guaranteed day off on the union's founding day and compensation for economic losses due to the strike. Despite the strike las ting more than 10 days, Samsung Electronics said there has been minimal impact on production. The NSEU reports a total membership of 31,000, accounting for approximately 24 percent of Samsung Electronics' total workforce of about 125,000. Source: Yonhap News Agency