POSCO工会接受延长调解期，8月18日将进行最终调解

The POSCO labor union said on the 5th that it accepted a recommendation to extend the mediation period at the second mediation session held by the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). The final mediation session between POSCO's labor and management will take place on the 18th.
In a press release issued that day, the POSCO union said, "We accepted the extension of the mediation period to confirm the possibility of a peaceful resolution to the very end," adding, "We will fulfill our responsibility for dialogue and communication even in the final mediation procedure prescribed by law."
However, the union made clear that accepting the extension does not mean agreeing to the company's proposal. Emphasizing that there was no change in the "resolve of 92.2% of union members" confirmed in the strike vote, the union drew a line, saying, "We have not granted the company unlimited time, but rather given it a final time to make a responsible final proposal." The union also cited the case of Hyundai Steel (004020), whose labor and management reached a tentative agreement in this year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations that included a 80,000 won increase in base pay, a 300% performance bonus, 5 million won in cash, and 300,000 won in Onnuri gift certificates. "Compared to this, POSCO's current proposal fails to properly reflect the expectations and anger on the ground," the union criticized.
Meanwhile, if a decision to suspend mediation is issued at the final mediation session scheduled for the 18th, the POSCO union will secure a legal right to industrial action.
Earlier, the NLRC confirmed the main positions and points of contention of both labor and management at the first mediation session on the 3rd, and recommended narrowing the differences through working-level consultations. At the second mediation session that day, the commission strongly urged that intensive negotiations be conducted during the extended mediation period and that management prepare a responsible proposal close to a final offer for the next mediation session.
Kim Sung-ho, chairman of the POSCO union, said, "The company has prided itself on being the No. 1 in Korea's steel industry and the No. 1 global steelmaker, but we cannot help but ask whether the proposal it has now put forward is an answer befitting that status." He added, "If the company wants to see the anger of union members who have endured, the union will clearly demonstrate that resolve."