Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and salary increases held a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their strike against the company into its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched at the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press.
This demonstration followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU initially announced an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements sought by its members.
While the union asserts representation of over 30,000 workers, it remains unclear how many are currently participating in the indefinite strike. Nonetheless, this strike is noted to be the largest in the history of the technology giant.
Despite Samsung projecting a remarkable increase of over 1,450% in second-quarter revenue year-over-year, attributed to an AI boom, the union claims that workers have not benefited from this financial success with increased pay.
Many striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which specializes in manufacturing some of the most advanced computer chips globally, as reported by AFP.
Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being uncooperative with unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Professor Vladimir Tikhonov from the University of Oslo indicated that if Samsung workers achieve their goals, it could empower the broader labor movement across South Korea.