Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and higher wages organized a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their ongoing strike against the tech giant.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, which took place at the Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that occurred on Friday.
The NSEU initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after earlier walkouts did not achieve the desired improvements for its workers. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are currently participating in the indefinite strike, which is noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung reporting a dramatic increase in revenue, projected to rise over 1,450% year-on-year due to a surge in artificial intelligence, and a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU has stated that workers have not benefited from these financial successes with increased pay.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where they manufacture some of the world’s most sophisticated computer chips.
Experts suggest that Samsung has a history of being resistant to unionization and lacks extensive experience in negotiating with its workforce. A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, remarked that if Samsung employees succeed in their demands, it could have a positive impact on the broader labor movement in South Korea.