Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and higher wages staged a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their strike, which is now entering its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) participated in the march at the Giheung campus in Yongin. This mobilization follows initial wage negotiation discussions between the union and Samsung that took place last Friday.
The NSEU declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after an earlier walkout did not yield the workplace improvements sought by its members. While the union represents over 30,000 workers, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this strike is noted as the largest in the history of the technology giant.
Samsung is anticipated to report a staggering increase of over 1,450% in its second-quarter revenue year-over-year, largely attributed to the growth in artificial intelligence technology. The company also recorded a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU has pointed out that workers have not benefitted from these remarkable financial gains.
A significant number of striking workers are employed in Samsung’s foundry, where they manufacture some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Additionally, experts highlight that Samsung has a reputation for being adversarial towards unions and lacks substantial experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, noted that if Samsung workers achieve success in their current efforts, it could serve to empower other labor movements throughout South Korea.