Samsung employees striking for improved working conditions and increased pay held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, as their protest enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched along the Giheung campus in Yongin. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday.
The NSEU initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements its members sought. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this strike is noted as the largest in the company’s history.
Despite Samsung’s projected second-quarter revenue increase of over 1,450% year-over-year due to advancements in AI and a reported tenfold profit increase in the first quarter of 2024, NSEU argues that workers have not benefitted from these record returns in terms of pay raises.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which produces some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Experts highlight that Samsung has a history of being resistant to unionization and lacks experience in negotiating with its workers.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could empower the wider labor movement in South Korea.