Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and better pay held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday as their strike against the company enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered to demonstrate and march at the Giheung campus in Yongin, according to reports.
This rally followed the initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place last Friday.
The NSEU announced an open-ended strike on July 8 after a prior walkout failed to yield the desired workplace improvements for its members. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are participating in the indefinite strike. Nevertheless, this ongoing action is now noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung Electronics anticipating a remarkable 1,450% year-over-year increase in second-quarter revenue, attributed to a surge in AI-related activities, workers have reported no corresponding wage increases amid these record profits, which saw a tenfold rise in the first quarter of 2024. Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, producing some of the most sophisticated computer chips globally.
Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly towards unions and has limited experience in negotiating with its workforce.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their current efforts, it could empower labor movements across South Korea.