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. This protest marks the third week of their action.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched at the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This rally followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung last Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after earlier attempts to secure workplace improvements did not succeed. While the union represents over 30,000 workers, it remains uncertain how many are participating in the indefinite strike. Nevertheless, this strike is already the largest in the history of the technology giant.
Despite Samsung projecting an impressive second-quarter revenue increase exceeding 1,450% year-on-year, driven by an AI boom, the NSEU has highlighted that employees have not seen corresponding pay hikes amid record profits.
Many striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where they manufacture some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Experts indicate that Samsung has a challenging history with unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, remarked that if the workers at Samsung succeed, it could inspire broader labor movements across South Korea.