Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and better pay held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the ongoing strike’s third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched through the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press.
The rally followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU announced an indefinite strike on July 8 after a previous walkout did not yield the workplace improvements its members are pursuing.
While the union encompasses over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this current strike represents the largest labor action in the history of the technology giant.
Samsung anticipates its second-quarter revenue to surge more than 1,450% year-on-year, driven by a boom in artificial intelligence. The company also reported a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU claims that employees have not benefited from these record earnings through pay increases.
Many of the striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which produces some of the world’s most advanced computer chips.
Experts note that Samsung has a history of being resistant to unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
“If Samsung workers succeed in this effort, it will empower the broader labor movement in South Korea,” stated Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo.