Samsung Electronics Co. and its largest labor union failed to make a breakthrough in their wage negotiations amid an ongoing strike, industry sources said Wednesday.

It is unclear whether the two parties will resume their negotiations soon, and the labor union said it will continue the strike.

The negotiations between management and the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) started Monday after their previous talks ended without an agreement last week.

Last week’s meeting was the first management-labor discussion since NSEU’s full-scale strike started on July 8.

The NSEU has proposed three days of “end-of-the-line bargaining” from Monday on the condition that the company presents a satisfactory negotiation proposal.

The company said it is difficult to accept the union’s demands realistically, but expressed a willingness to actively engage in dialogue during the negotiations.

The NSEU is demanding a 5.6 percent basic pay raise for all members, a guaranteed day off on the union’s founding day and com
pensation for economic losses due to the strike.

In contrast, Samsung Electronics has offered a 5.1 percent increase in wages, emphasizing its commitment to building a win-win labor-management relationship.

Despite the strike lasting more than two weeks, Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker, reported minimal impact on production.

The NSEU reports a total membership of 31,000, accounting for approximately 24 percent of Samsung Electronics’ total workforce of about 125,000.

Source: Yonhap News Agency