Samsung employees calling for improved working conditions and higher salaries staged a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, as their strike against the company enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) marched along the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung held on Friday.
The strike, which was announced on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not yield the desired workplace improvements, has become the largest in the history of the technology giant. Although the NSEU represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are participating in the indefinite strike.
Despite Samsung Electronics projecting a staggering 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue year-over-year due to an AI surge, and a tenfold profit increase in the first three months of 2024, the NSEU claims that employees are not benefiting from these record earnings through higher wages.
A significant portion of the striking workers are employed in Samsung’s foundries, which produce some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly 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 a successful outcome for Samsung workers could invigorate labor movements across South Korea.