Employees of Samsung Electronics staged a large rally in South Korea on Monday as their strike for improved working conditions and higher wages continues into its third week. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) marched at the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press.
The rally followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung, which took place on Friday. The NSEU had announced an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements its members sought.
While the union represents over 30,000 workers, it remains unclear how many joined the indefinite strike. However, this ongoing action marks the largest strike in Samsung’s history.
Despite an expected increase in Samsung’s second-quarter revenue by more than 1,450% year-over-year due to an AI boom, as well as a tenfold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU has argued that employees are not seeing corresponding wage increases.
Many striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which manufactures some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Additionally, experts point out that Samsung has a reputation for being resistant to union activities and lacks a history of negotiating effectively with its workforce.
According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, a successful outcome for Samsung workers could empower labor movements across South Korea.