South Korea’s government is taking strong steps to prevent a possible strike at Samsung Electronics, the country’s largest company and a major part of its economy.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok held an emergency meeting today and said the government would use every available option, including emergency arbitration, to avoid major problems from the strike.
The Samsung workers’ union plans an 18-day strike from May 21 to June 7.
They want better pay and a larger share of the company’s profits from memory chips, which are thriving due to AI demand. Talks between the company and union have broken down several times, but they are set to meet again with a government mediator on May 18.
Samsung accounts for about 23% of South Korea’s exports and 26% of its stock market.
It directly employs more than 120,000 people. A prolonged strike could cost up to 1 trillion won a day and cause major issues for global tech supply chains.
Via:reuters