Samsung employees striking for improved working conditions and higher wages organized a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, as their protest enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea, as reported by the Associated Press.
This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung on Friday, as highlighted by Bloomberg.
The NSEU initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after earlier attempts to secure concessions for its members were unsuccessful.
While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are actively participating in the indefinite strike. Regardless, this ongoing action marks the largest strike in Samsung’s history.
Samsung anticipates its second-quarter revenue will soar more than 1,450% year-over-year, driven by a surge in AI technologies. The company also reported a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU states that workers have not seen similar increases in their pay despite the record profits.
Many striking employees are based at Samsung’s foundries, where they manufacture some of the most advanced computer chips globally.
Experts note that Samsung has a historically unfavorable stance towards unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce. Professor Vladimir Tikhonov, an expert in Korean studies at the University of Oslo, remarked that if Samsung workers achieve success in their strike, it could significantly empower labor movements throughout South Korea.