Seoul, April 16 (IANS) Samsung Electronics has filed for a court injunction in connection with potential collective action by its labour union that could disrupt production, industry sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, the company made the legal request with the Suwon District Court earlier in the day in an apparent move to prevent the union from occupying key facilities, such as semiconductor production lines, in order to avoid significant operational losses, reports Yonhap news agency.

Samsung Electronics has stressed that its application for a preliminary injunction is not intended to block the union’s constitutionally guaranteed right to engage in labour disputes, but to prevent actions strictly prohibited by law and avert potential operational losses, according to the sources.

Earlier, unionised workers of Samsung Electronics announced plans to stage a general strike on May 21.

The two sides had started wage talks last month but soon halted the process after failing to reach an agreement on removing a cap on performance-based bonuses.

The union has reportedly demanded the company allocate 15 per cent of its operating profit to bonuses.

Samsung Electronics reported 57 trillion won ($38.7 billion) in operating profit for the first quarter.

In March, unionised workers at Samsung said they have suspended talks with management three days after resuming negotiations. “Citing management’s lack of sincerity, we have decided to break off negotiations and seek a ruling from a local labour arbitration commission,” Choi Seung-ho, who leads the Samsung Electronics unit at the Samsung Group United Union (SGUU), said in a statement.

He said the two sides have failed to reach an agreement on removing a cap on performance-based bonuses. However, the union hinted at a possible resumption, saying the suspension does not constitute a “breakdown,” according to the minutes of Friday’s negotiations posted on its website.

The unionised workers have been demanding that management remove the cap on bonuses and grant a 7 percent wage increase, along with greater transparency in calculating performance-based bonuses.

–IANS

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