Samsung employees striking for improved working conditions and higher wages demonstrated in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their action against the company.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, which took place at the Giheung campus in Yongin. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions held between the union and Samsung on Friday.
The workers declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a previous walkout failed to achieve the desired workplace improvements. While the NSEU represents over 30,000 workers, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. This strike is noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung’s projected second-quarter revenue increase of more than 1,450% year-over-year, attributed to a boom in AI, and a significant tenfold profit increase for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU highlighted that workers have not experienced corresponding pay raises amid these record profits.
Many striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where advanced computer chips are manufactured. Additionally, experts indicate that Samsung has historically exhibited resistance towards unionization and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, remarked that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could empower the broader labor movement across South Korea.