Employees of Samsung striking for improved working conditions and higher wages organized a large rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their action into its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the rally, marching through the Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea, as reported by the Associated Press.
This demonstration follows initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place last Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not achieve the workplace improvements its members are seeking.
While the union represents over 30,000 workers, the exact number of those on indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, the current strike is noted as the largest in the company’s history.
Samsung anticipates a more than 1,450% increase in its second-quarter revenue year-over-year, driven by an AI boom, and reported a tenfold rise in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU has stated that workers are not seeing any increases in pay despite these record profits.
Many of the striking workers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, which produces some of the most advanced computer chips globally, as noted by AFP.
Experts have pointed out that Samsung has a reputation for being adversarial towards unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, indicated that if Samsung employees succeed in their efforts, it could empower labor movements across South Korea.