By Heekyong Yang
SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics and its South Korean labour union will resume pay talks on Monday with a government mediator, the union said, in a move that could ease concerns over a potentially disruptive strike at the tech giant.
The union said in a statement on Saturday that Samsung Electronics had replaced the company’s representative for the negotiations, while the two sides would have a separate meeting later on Saturday.
The union did not elaborate on Saturday’s agenda. Samsung Electronics declined to comment on either meeting.
The announcement came shortly after Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee apologised to customers and the public over the labour dispute in his first public comments on the issue.
“I sincerely apologise to customers around the world for causing anxiety and concern due to issues within our company,” Lee said in his first public remarks on the dispute, adding that he also “deeply bows in apology to the public”.
The union leader said the new company negotiator apologised for a breakdown in trust and pledged to engage sincerely in negotiations. He added that he conveyed his frustrations and would make every effort if Monday’s talks prove constructive.
After pay negotiations broke down this week, the labour minister met Samsung Electronics management on Saturday and urged the company to take an active role in resolving the dispute through dialogue.
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 financial markets.
The collapse of the government-mediated negotiations heightened concerns about a strike at the world’s biggest memory chipmaker, whose customers include Nvidia, AMD and Google.
The union said on Friday it remained committed to a planned strike starting next week, even after the company proposed resuming pay talks without conditions.
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Tom Hogue, William Mallard and Louise Heavens)
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