Samsung employees striking for improved working conditions and higher wages gathered for a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, as their protest against the company enters its third week.
Around 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally and marched through the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place last Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU had declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not yield the desired workplace improvements for its members. While the union represents over 30,000 workers, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nevertheless, this current strike is noted as the largest in the history of the technology firm.
Despite expectations of a more than 1,450% year-over-year increase in second-quarter revenue due to an AI boom, along with a ten-fold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU has claimed that workers are not receiving any corresponding pay increases.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, known for producing some of the world’s most advanced computer chips, as reported by AFP.
Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly towards unions and lacks experience in employee negotiations. Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, remarked that if Samsung workers achieve their goals, it could strengthen labor movements across South Korea.