Employees at Samsung are continuing their strike for improved working conditions and higher wages, with a significant rally taking place in South Korea on Monday, marking the third week of their protest. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in a march at the Giheung campus in Yongin.
This mobilization follows the initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that occurred on Friday. The NSEU had declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after previous efforts to achieve workplace improvements did not succeed.
While the union represents over 30,000 workers, it remains unclear how many are partaking in the indefinite strike, but it is noted to be the largest in the technology company’s history.
Samsung is anticipating a dramatic increase in its second-quarter revenue, projected to rise more than 1,450% year-over-year attributed to an AI boom, alongside a tenfold profit increase for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU argues that employees have not received commensurate pay increases despite these financial successes.
Many striking employees are involved in the production of cutting-edge computer chips at Samsung’s foundry. Experts indicate that Samsung has a history of being unfriendly towards unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, suggested that if Samsung workers achieve their goals, it could strengthen labor movements across South Korea.