Samsung employees demanding improved working conditions and higher wages organized 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) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus in Yongin, according to reports.
This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung on Friday.
The NSEU initiated an indefinite strike on July 8 after a previous walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements sought by its members. While the union represents over 30,000 workers, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this current strike represents the largest in the company’s history.
Samsung anticipates a more than 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue year-over-year, driven by an AI boom, and has reported a tenfold increase in profits for the first three months of 2024. However, the NSEU claims that workers have not benefited from these record earnings in terms of increased pay.
Many striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where they produce some of the most advanced computer chips globally.
Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly towards unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its employees.
Professor Vladimir Tikhonov, a Korean studies expert at the University of Oslo, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could empower labor movements across South Korea.