Employees at Samsung Electronics rallied in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their strike for improved working conditions and increased pay. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching along the Giheung campus in Yongin.
The strike action followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and the company last Friday. NSEU members declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after previous efforts to secure workplace improvements were unsuccessful. While the union represents over 30,000 workers, it remains uncertain how many are actively participating in the indefinite strike, which is already noted as the largest in the company’s history.
Despite Samsung’s projected second-quarter revenue increase of over 1,450% year-over-year, attributed to a surge in artificial intelligence, and a tenfold profit increase in early 2024, many employees claim they have not seen corresponding pay raises. A significant number of strikers work at Samsung’s foundry, where advanced computer chips are produced.
Experts suggest that Samsung’s historical resistance to unionization and lack of negotiation experience with its workforce could pose challenges. A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, stated that a successful outcome for Samsung workers could have a positive ripple effect on labor movements across South Korea.