Samsung employees demanding improved working conditions and increased wages held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their strike against the company for the third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, which took place at the Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea, as reported.
This rally followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung, which occurred on Friday.
The NSEU, representing over 30,000 employees, initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after a previous walkout did not achieve the desired workplace improvements. While the exact number of participants in the indefinite strike remains unclear, this current strike is noted to be the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung forecasting an impressive second-quarter revenue increase of over 1,450% year-over-year, driven by a surge in AI technology, and reporting a tenfold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU argues that workers have not seen corresponding wage increases amid these record profits.
A significant number of strikers are involved in Samsung’s foundry operations, where they manufacture some of the world’s most advanced computer chips.
Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly towards unions and lacks extensive experience in negotiating with its workforce.
If the strike proves successful for Samsung workers, it could have a motivating impact on labor movements across South Korea, according to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo.