Samsung employees are on strike for improved working conditions and higher wages, holding a significant rally in South Korea on Monday as their protest enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the march at the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press.
This rally followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The strike, which began on July 8, was declared indefinite after an earlier walkout did not yield the desired results for its members.
While the union claims to represent over 30,000 workers, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this current strike is being noted as the largest in Samsung’s history.
Samsung anticipates a surge in second-quarter revenue by more than 1,450% year-over-year, driven by a boom in artificial intelligence. The company also reported a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU argues that employees are not receiving pay increases despite the company’s substantial financial gains.
A significant number of striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which is known for producing some of the world’s most advanced computer chips.
Experts highlight Samsung’s well-known resistance to unionization and its limited experience in negotiating with employees.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their strike, it could empower the wider labor movement across South Korea.