Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and higher wages organized a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, marking the continuation of their strike, which has now entered its third week.
Approximately 1,200 members of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) gathered to march through the Giheung campus in Yongin, as reported by the Associated Press. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiations between the union and Samsung that took place on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The NSEU workers declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout failed to achieve the desired improvements in their workplace conditions. Although the union represents over 30,000 employees, the exact number participating in the indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this current strike is noted to be the largest in the history of the technology company.
Samsung is anticipating a staggering increase of more than 1,450% in its second-quarter revenue compared to the previous year, largely attributed to a boom in artificial intelligence. The company also reported a tenfold increase in profits for the first quarter of 2024. Despite these record earnings, the NSEU claims that workers are not seeing corresponding salary increases.
Many strikers are employed at Samsung’s foundry, where some of the most advanced computer chips in the world are manufactured. Experts point out that Samsung has a reputation for being unwelcoming towards unions and lacks substantial experience in negotiating with its workforce.
A professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, Vladimir Tikhonov, stated that if Samsung workers are successful in their strike, it could empower the broader South Korean labor movement.