Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and higher salaries held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their ongoing strike. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated, marching through Samsung’s Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press.
This demonstration followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday, according to Bloomberg. Workers from the NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a previous walkout did not yield the desired workplace improvements for members.
While the union has over 30,000 members, the exact number of those currently participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. However, this strike is being recognized as the largest in the history of the technology giant.
Despite Samsung’s projected second-quarter revenue surge by over 1,450% year-on-year, attributed to an artificial intelligence boom, and a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU asserts that workers have not experienced corresponding wage increases amid these record earnings.
Many of the striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which manufactures some of the world’s most advanced computer chips, as noted by AFP. Experts highlight that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly towards unions and lacks significant experience in engaging with its workforce.
Professor Vladimir Tikhonov, a Korean studies expert at the University of Oslo, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could empower labor movements across South Korea.