Samsung Electronics union halts talks with management

Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics have suspended wage talks with management, citing a lack of sincerity. Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Electronics unit at the Samsung Group United Union, said the sides failed to agree on removing the cap on performance-based bonuses. The decision came three days after talks resumed on Tuesday.

SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday they have suspended talks with management three days after resuming negotiations.

"Citing management's lack of sincerity, we have decided to break off negotiations and seek a ruling from a local labor arbitration commission," Choi Seung-ho, who leads the Samsung Electronics unit at the Samsung Group United Union (SGUU), said in a statement.

He said the two sides have failed to reach an agreement on removing a cap on performance-based bonuses.

However, the union hinted at a possible resumption, saying the suspension does not constitute a "breakdown," according to the minutes of Friday's negotiations posted on its website.

The remarks came after three labor unions, including the SGUU and the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), resumed wage talks on Tuesday. The unionized workers have been demanding that management remove the cap on bonuses and grant a 7 percent wage increase, along with greater transparency in calculating performance-based bonuses.

Last week, the unions said 93.1 percent of their members voted in favor of staging a strike in May. The three unions have around 90,000 members.

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