Samsung employees striking for improved working conditions and higher wages rallied in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their ongoing protest against the tech giant.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched at the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This rally followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The union had initiated an indefinite strike on July 8, after a previous walkout did not yield the workplace improvements its members sought. While the NSEU represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nevertheless, this action is noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Samsung anticipates a staggering increase of over 1,450% in second-quarter revenue, driven largely by an AI boom, and recently announced a tenfold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU argues that workers have not seen corresponding pay increases despite these substantial financial gains.
Many of the striking employees work in Samsung’s foundries, where they produce some of the world’s most advanced computer chips, as reported by AFP.
Experts highlight that Samsung has a reputation for being resistant to unionization and lacks significant experience in negotiating 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 the broader labor movement in South Korea.