SEOUL, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Workers at Samsung Electronics have approved a strike plan, Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday.

The vote, held from March 9 to 18, involved about 90,000 union members, representing the majority of Samsung's 125,000 employees in South Korea.

The approval cleared the way for the union to stage a strike for up to 18 days from May 21 if no agreement is reached with management, raising concerns over possible disruptions to Samsung's chip production.

A strike at the world's largest memory chip maker could further strain global semiconductor supplies, which are already under pressure from strong demand from AI data centers, affecting industries from automobiles and computers to smartphones.

The dispute has centered on performance bonuses, with the union demanding that Samsung adopt a system similar to that of rival SK Hynix, which has removed the bonus cap and allocates up to 10 percent of its operating profit to employees.

Samsung, however, said removing the cap could reduce funds available for future investment and widen disparities among employees. ■