Samsung employees striking for improved working conditions and increased wages held a large rally in South Korea on Monday, marking three weeks of their ongoing protest against the company.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered 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 held last Friday.
The NSEU workers declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements its members sought. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are actively participating in the indefinite strike, which is noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Samsung anticipates a staggering 1,450% year-over-year increase in second-quarter revenue, attributed to a surge in artificial intelligence demand, and has reported a tenfold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU contends that workers have not seen corresponding increases in their pay, despite the company’s record earnings.
Many of the striking employees work at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the most sophisticated computer chips in the world are manufactured. Experts highlight that Samsung has a reputation for being unaccommodating towards unions and lacks experience in negotiations with its workforce.
According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, if Samsung workers succeed in their strike, it could empower the wider labor movement across South Korea.