Samsung holds desperate final talks with union over 18-day chip factory strike that could cost $20 billion — government-mediated summit seeks to avert industrial action that could hit HBM production

Samsung is engaging in final negotiations with its largest labor coalition to avert an 18-day chip factory strike that could cost the company $20 billion. The talks, mediated by the South Korean government, aim to prevent a shutdown of the world's largest memory chip operation. The union has threatened a general strike from May 21st to June 7th if an agreement is not reached. The dispute centers around the union's demand to uncap performance payouts at 15% of operating profit, with management offering industry-leading compensation but refusing to remove the cap permanently. Fractures within Samsung's workforce, particularly between divisions, are adding complexity to the negotiations.