Employees at Samsung have conducted a significant rally in South Korea as they continue their strike for improved working conditions and increased wages into its third week. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched at the company’s Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press.
This demonstration followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday, according to Bloomberg. The NSEU announced an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not yield the workplace enhancements its members sought.
While the union includes over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are participating in the indefinite strike. Nevertheless, this action marks the largest strike in the history of the technology giant.
Despite Samsung forecasting a remarkable 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue year-over-year due to an AI surge, and a tenfold profit growth for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU asserts that workers have not seen corresponding raises in their wages amid these record profits.
A significant number of strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where the company produces some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Analysts note that Samsung has a reputation for being antagonistic toward unions and lacks substantial experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, stated that a successful strike by Samsung workers could potentially empower labor movements across South Korea.