Employees at Samsung are continuing their strike for improved working conditions and higher wages, holding a large rally in South Korea on Monday as their action enters its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) marched at the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This comes on the heels of initial wage negotiations held between the union and Samsung on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU had 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 workers, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this current strike marks the largest in the company’s history.
Samsung anticipates a remarkable more than 1,450% year-over-year increase in revenue for the second quarter, driven by the growth in artificial intelligence. The company has also reported a tenfold surge in profits for the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU claims that workers have not seen corresponding pay increases despite these record profits.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where they manufacture some of the world’s most advanced computer chips. Experts note that Samsung has a reputation for being unfriendly toward unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its workforce.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, stated that if Samsung workers succeed in their strike, it could empower labor movements across South Korea.