Samsung Electronics’ 2026 wage and bonus agreement has been officially approved, passing a crucial union vote on Wednesday. This comes just one week after a last-minute deal between labor and management successfully averted a major strike.
The agreement secured strong support, with 73.7 percent of participating union members voting in favor. Out of 65,593 eligible voters, an impressive 95.5 percent turnout saw 62,616 ballots cast, according to union reports.
This tentative agreement was reached on May 20, narrowly preceding a planned walkout. A key feature of the new compensation deal is the creation of a special management bonus pool. This pool will be funded with 10.5 percent of the operating profit generated by Samsung’s semiconductor business.
Employees within the Device Solutions division, which oversees all of Samsung’s global chip operations, are the direct beneficiaries of this substantial payout.
Illustrating the potential impact, if Samsung Electronics achieves 300 trillion won ($200 billion) in operating profit this year, memory business employees with annual salaries of 100 million won could potentially receive approximately 550 million won in these special management bonuses, paid in company shares before taxes.
When combined with the company’s existing excess profit incentive, typically capped at 50 percent of an employee’s annual salary, the total performance-related compensation for eligible individuals could reach an impressive 600 million won.
