Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and increased pay staged a large rally 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) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by various sources.
This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday.
On July 8, NSEU workers officially declared an indefinite strike after a previous walkout did not yield the desired improvements in workplace conditions.
While the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number currently participating in the indefinite strike is unclear. Nonetheless, this labor action is the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite the company anticipating a more than 1,450% surge in second-quarter revenue due to an AI boom and reporting a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024, NSEU members claim that their wages have not reflected these record earnings.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the world’s most advanced computer chips are manufactured.
Experts point out that Samsung has a reputation for being resistant to unions and lacks extensive experience in negotiating with its workforce.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, noted that if Samsung employees succeed in their efforts, it could empower labor movements throughout South Korea.