National Samsung Electronics Union ends strike after 24 days

[Photo by Kim Ho-young]

The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), a union representing workers at South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., has ended its general strike and returned to work.

“The strike has ended up into a prolonged phase as negotiations failed,” it said on Thursday, encouraging workers to return to work. “It is time to turn our strike into a long-term plan.”

The decision to end the strike comes as the general walkout has dragged on and wage losses have mounted.

Despite intensive negotiations over three days from Monday, the company and union reached no agreement, as the union added one more demand of an in-kind employee bonus worth 2 million won ($1,458) per worker to a list of its previous demands.

The strike lasted 24 days from July 8.