Employees at Samsung Electronics are striking for improved working conditions and higher wages, staging a large rally in South Korea on Monday, as their protest enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 workers from the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching at the Giheung campus in Yongin, according to reports. This demonstration took place following initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that were held last Friday.
The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not achieve the desired workplace improvements. While the union represents over 30,000 employees, it remains unclear how many are currently participating in the indefinite strike. Nonetheless, this strike is noted as the largest in the company’s history.
Despite Samsung’s forecast of a more than 1,450% increase in second-quarter revenue year-over-year due to a surge in AI, and a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024, the NSEU asserts that workers are not experiencing proportional pay increases.
A significant portion of the striking workers are involved in Samsung’s foundry, which produces some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Analysts point out that Samsung has a history of being unfriendly towards unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, commented that if the workers at Samsung succeed, it could empower labor movements across South Korea.