Samsung Electronics and its labor union have returned to the bargaining table after negotiations broke down for several months. The joint labor body said on Monday it decided to resume talks after the company expressed its intent to accept OPI transparency and the abolition of the cap as agenda items.

In a notice, the joint labor body said the company stated it wanted to discuss making the OPI bonus scheme more transparent and abolishing its cap, and that it therefore decided to resume negotiations. The labor body held a meeting on Sunday with Jeon Young-hyun (전영현), vice chairman and chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics and head of the DS division, and also held an additional meeting with management on Monday.

Under the decision, the two sides will start working-level talks on March 25 and hold intensive talks over two days on March 26 and 27. They can extend the schedule through the weekend if needed, and the results will be disclosed after the talks end.

The joint labor body was launched in early November last year after Samsung Electronics' branch of the National Union of Samsung Electronics, the National Samsung Electronics Union and Samsung Electronics Union Companion formed a joint bargaining team. The unions continued wage talks with management for about three months, but negotiations ultimately collapsed over differences on abolishing the OPI cap.

After the breakdown, the union held a strike authorization vote and secured the right to strike with 93.1 percent approval. The National Samsung Electronics Union had announced plans for a news conference in front of Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee's home, but the company proposed talks with Jeon, creating momentum to resume negotiations.

The planned general strike in May remains in place. The union said, "Negotiations are negotiations, and struggle is struggle, and the joint labor body will do its best in both directions," leaving open the possibility of a general strike regardless of the outcome. Membership currently totals 68,337.