Workers at Samsung have been staging a significant rally in South Korea, demanding improved working conditions and higher wages, as their strike enters its third week. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the demonstration, marching through the Giheung campus in Yongin.
This rally follows initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place last Friday. The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after previous attempts to secure better workplace conditions were unsuccessful. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it is unclear how many are currently participating in the indefinite strike, which is now the largest in Samsung’s history.
Despite Samsung projecting a more than 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue year-over-year, attributed to an AI surge, and reporting a tenfold profit increase in the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU argues that workers have not seen corresponding wage increases. Many striking employees are involved in the production of advanced computer chips at Samsung’s foundry.
Experts note that Samsung has a history of being resistant to unions and lacks significant experience in negotiating with its workforce. According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, if the workers at Samsung succeed, it could bolster labor rights for the broader South Korean workforce.