Samsung employees advocating for enhanced working conditions and increased wages held a large rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their strike which has now entered its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus located in Yongin, South Korea, as reported. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday.
The NSEU had declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not yield the desired improvements in workplace conditions. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number of those participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this strike represents the largest in the history of the tech giant.
Despite Samsung’s projected revenue increase of over 1,450% year-on-year for the second quarter, largely attributed to a surge in artificial intelligence, and a tenfold increase in profits for the first three months of 2024, the NSEU has highlighted that employees have not experienced correspondent increases in their wages.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the most advanced computer chips globally are manufactured. Moreover, experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unaccommodating towards union activities and lacks substantial experience in negotiating with its workforce.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, commented that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could serve as a source of empowerment for the broader labor movement in South Korea.