Samsung Electronics proposes unconditional talks with union; strike plan holds

SEOUL, May 15 (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics’ South Korean labour union said on Friday the tech company had proposed resuming talks without conditions, days after government-mediated negotiations over pay and bonus schemes collapsed.

The union said it was willing to hold talks after June 7, while maintaining plans for a strike from May 21 that could disrupt production at the world’s biggest memory chipmaker.

Samsung Electronics shared a statement confirming its offer of unconditional talks, though it did not immediately provide further comment.

Samsung’s union said on Thursday it would sit down for talks if the company presented a detailed proposal addressing the union’s demands by 0100 GMT on Friday.

South Korean government officials, including the prime minister and finance minister, have voiced concerns that a strike at Samsung should be avoided at all costs, warning it could pose significant risks to economic growth, exports and markets.

Shares of Samsung Electronics were trading down 2% in morning trade after the company’s proposal for unconditional talks, compared with a 1.1% decline in the benchmark KOSPI.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang, Hyunjoo Jin and Kyu-seok ShimEditing by Ed Davies)