Samsung employees advocating for better working conditions and improved wages held a large rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their strike against the company for a third week.
Around 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation talks between the union and Samsung on Friday, as covered by Bloomberg.
The NSEU announced an indefinite strike on July 8 after previous negotiations failed to meet their demands for workplace improvements. While the union represents over 30,000 workers, it remains unclear how many are actively participating in the indefinite strike. Nonetheless, this current action is noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung’s projected second-quarter revenue increase of more than 1,450% year-over-year, fueled by an AI boom, and a tenfold profit increase in the first three months of 2024, the NSEU asserts that workers are not experiencing similar pay increases amidst these record profits. Many striking employees are involved in Samsung’s foundry operations, responsible for producing some of the most advanced computer chips globally.
Experts indicate that Samsung has a reputation for being hostile toward union activities and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce. According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, should the Samsung workers succeed in their strike, it could empower the broader labor movement across South Korea.