Employees at Samsung are continuing their strike for improved working conditions and higher wages, with a significant rally taking place in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their protest.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus located in Yongin, South Korea, as reported by the Associated Press.
This rally followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung on the previous Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements that members were advocating for. The union, which represents over 30,000 workers, has seen the current strike evolve into the largest in Samsung’s history, although it remains unclear how many workers are participating in the indefinite strike.
Despite Samsung’s expectation of a revenue surge exceeding 1,450% year-over-year in the second quarter, driven by an AI boom, and reports of a tenfold increase in profits during the first three months of 2024, the union has pointed out that employees are not experiencing corresponding pay increases.
Many striking employees are engaged in Samsung’s foundry operations, where they produce some of the most advanced computer chips globally, as reported by AFP.
Experts have noted that Samsung’s history indicates a hostile stance toward unions, with little experience in negotiating with its workforce. Professor Vladimir Tikhonov from the University of Oslo commented that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could bolster the wider labor movement across South Korea.