Samsung employees engaged in a strike for improved working conditions and higher wages staged a significant rally in South Korea on Monday as their protests enter the third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered and marched around the Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea, as reported by the Associated Press. This rally took place following initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung last Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not achieve the desired gains for its members. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this ongoing strike marks the largest in the company’s history.
Despite Samsung Electronics anticipating a staggering 1,450% increase in revenue year-over-year due to the AI boom, and reporting a tenfold profit surge in the initial three months of 2024, the NSEU argues that workers have not benefited from these record financial results.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which manufactures some of the most sophisticated computer chips globally. Experts note that Samsung has a history of being resistant to unionization and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, noted that if Samsung workers are successful in their efforts, it could empower labor movements throughout South Korea.