Samsung Electronics’ labor unions will hold a strike authorization vote starting Monday as they move toward a possible general strike in May.
The unions’ joint struggle headquarters said Friday that a vote on industrial action will take place from Monday to March 18, with the aim of securing the legal right to strike by mid-March.
If more than half of all union members approve the move, the unions plan to stage a large-scale rally of members in April and proceed with a general strike in May.
“The goal is a general strike in May,” the group said, adding that it plans to increase pressure on management by expanding participation in collective action.
The coalition was formed in early November last year when three unions — the Samsung Electronics branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, National Samsung Electronics Labor Union and Samsung Electronics Union Together — created a joint bargaining team to negotiate wages with the company.
After more than three months of talks, however, the two sides failed to narrow differences over the union’s demand to scrap the cap on performance-based bonuses.
The unions declared a breakdown in negotiations on Feb. 19 and requested mediation from the National Labor Relations Commission.
The commission halted mediation during a second meeting on March 3, clearing the way for the unions to begin securing the right to strike. The joint bargaining team was subsequently reorganized into the current joint struggle headquarters.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
