Employees of Samsung engaged in a significant rally in South Korea on Monday as their strike for improved working conditions and higher wages enters its third week. Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) marched through the Giheung campus in Yongin, following initial wage negotiation discussions held between the union and the company.
The union had declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements its members sought. While the NSEU represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the current indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, it is noted as the largest strike in the history of the technology giant.
Samsung is projected to see a surge of more than 1,450% in second-quarter revenue year-over-year, driven largely by advances in artificial intelligence, along with a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024. Despite these record financial results, the NSEU claims workers have not benefitted with corresponding wage increases.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the world’s most sophisticated computer chips are manufactured. Additionally, experts suggest that Samsung has a longstanding reputation for being resistant to unionization and lacks experience in dealing with worker negotiations.
Professor Vladimir Tikhonov from the University of Oslo remarked that if Samsung workers are successful in their efforts, it could have a positive ripple effect for the labor movement throughout South Korea.