Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and higher pay demonstrated in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their strike against the company.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched through the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This rally followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place last Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU workers initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not achieve the desired workplace improvements. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this strike is now recorded as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung’s anticipated revenue surge exceeding 1,450% year-over-year due to a boom in artificial intelligence and a reported tenfold profit increase for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU claims that workers have not seen corresponding pay raises amid these record profits.
Many of the striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the most advanced computer chips globally are manufactured, as noted by AFP.
Experts also highlight that Samsung has a long-standing reputation for being antagonistic towards unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce. Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could significantly strengthen the labor movement across South Korea.