POSCO's labor and management resumed wage negotiations on the 15th but ultimately suspended talks without narrowing their significant differences. While keeping the door open for future dialogue, the labor union is proceeding with preparations for its second consecutive partial strike, scheduled to kick off on the 16th.

According to industry sources, the POSCO Labor Union—affiliated with the Federation of Korean Metal Workers' Trade Unions under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions—met with management at the company's headquarters in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, for a two-hour session starting at 2 p.m. This marked the first official negotiation table between the two sides in 12 days, following their previous meeting on the 3rd.

During the session, both sides remained deeply divided over core issues, including the precise rate of wage increases. Reports indicate that neither side presented a breakthrough proposal that significantly deviated from their previously stated positions. 

A union representative stated, "The negotiations have not officially 'collapsed,' but are currently suspended. We always keep the door open for communication and will readily respond if management requests additional talks."

However, the union emphasized that unless unexpected supplementary dialogue takes place, it will push forward with a 120-hour partial strike starting at 7 a.m. on the 16th, exactly as previously announced. 

Industry watchers anticipate that this second wave of partial strikes will carry a broader impact than the first round, which took place from September 9 to 11. Although the union has withheld specific details regarding targeted production lines or exact headcounts, it has clarified that both the number of participating workers and the overall duration of the action will be scaled up compared to the initial strike. 

The core of the dispute centers on vastly contrasting financial expectations. During negotiations on the 3rd, the union put forward a comprehensive list of demands, including a 7.1 percent increase in base pay, an incentive bonus equivalent to 600 percent of the base salary, 50 shares of company stock (employee stock ownership), and a holiday bonus worth 200 percent. In response, management countered with a 2.0 percent base pay raise, a target-achievement incentive of 3.5 million won, and local love gift certificates worth 500,000 won. 

Management maintains that it is structurally impossible to accommodate the union's heavy demands, citing a sharp 43 percent plunge in operating profit during the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. Conversely, the union argues that the company must look beyond immediate financial metrics to resolve chronic structural issues, pointing to acute labor shortages, prolonged working hours, and inadequate safety and welfare conditions that have accumulated over time.

A POSCO official expressed the company's stance, stating, "We will listen carefully to the union's demands, communicate transparently, and do our absolute best to foster labor-management harmony for a swift settlement." The official added, however, that the company will respond strictly and firmly to any illegal actions or violations of internal company regulations.

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