Samsung employees seeking improved working conditions and higher wages held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, as their strike enters its third week. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched at the Giheung campus in Yongin, according to reports.
The rally follows initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung on Friday. The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8, after earlier walkouts did not achieve the desired workplace improvements.
While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are participating in the indefinite strike, which marks the largest labor action in the company’s history.
Despite Samsung projecting a staggering 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue year-over-year attributed to a boom in artificial intelligence, and reporting a tenfold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024, NSEU members claim they have not seen corresponding wage increases.
Many striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the most advanced computer chips in the world are produced. Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being resistant to union activities and lacks extensive experience in negotiating with its workforce.
According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, the success of Samsung workers in this endeavor could enhance the position of labor across South Korea.