Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and its union entered final negotiations on Monday in an effort to prevent what could be the largest strike in the tech giant's history. Concerns are mounting that a work stoppage involving over 45,000 employees could impact South Korea's economy and disrupt global supply chains.

The planned 18-day strike, set to commence this Thursday, comes at a time of severe global shortages in memory chips. These chips are core components for AI data centers, smartphones, and laptops. The chip shortage has driven significant profit surges for Samsung and its industry peers in recent months.

As the world's largest memory chip manufacturer, Samsung accounts for nearly a quarter of South Korea's total exports. Last week, the first round of government-mediated talks over wages and bonuses broke down, leading both parties to resume negotiations on Monday.

In a related development, a South Korean court partially granted an injunction requested by Samsung, putting additional pressure on the union. The ruling requires the union to ensure that any strike action does not hinder the company's normal production operations.

A court spokesperson stated by phone that the ruling explicitly prohibits actions that would cause the loss of production materials during a strike. It also mandates that work related to operational safety and preventing product damage must continue normally.

The spokesperson added that if the two main unions violate this ruling, each could face a daily fine of 100 million won (approximately $72,000). Union leaders could also be subject to individual daily fines of 10 million won.

The union issued a statement, declaring that even with the court's ruling, it would not abandon its strike demands if the current negotiations fail to reach an agreement. The union also pledged to participate seriously in the talks.

Samsung Electronics has not yet responded to the latest developments.