Employees of Samsung have organized a large rally in South Korea as they continue their strike for improved working conditions and increased pay, now entering its third week. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the demonstration at the Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea.
This rally followed preliminary wage negotiations between the union and Samsung, which took place last Friday. The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8, after an earlier walkout failed to achieve the desired workplace improvements.
While the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number of those participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. This current strike is marked as the largest in the company’s history.
Despite Samsung’s projections of more than a 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue, largely attributed to a surge in AI technology, workers have reported stagnant wages amidst the company’s record profits. The NSEU has voiced concerns that employees are not benefiting from the financial successes.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where cutting-edge computer chips are manufactured. Experts note that Samsung has a challenging history with union relations and lacks experience in negotiating with its workers.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, emphasized that a successful outcome for Samsung workers could inspire the broader labor movement across South Korea.