Samsung employees advocating for improved working conditions and higher wages organized a significant rally in South Korea on Monday, as their strike enters 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, according to reports. This demonstration followed initial wage negotiation discussions that took place between the union and Samsung last Friday.
The NSEU had declared an indefinite strike on July 8 after a prior walkout did not secure the workplace improvements its members seek. Although the union represents more than 30,000 workers, the exact number currently on indefinite strike remains unclear. Nonetheless, this strike marks the largest in the history of the technology company.
Samsung is projecting its second-quarter revenue to increase over 1,450% year-over-year, largely due to a boom in artificial intelligence, and it reported a tenfold rise in profits during the first quarter of 2024. However, the NSEU asserts that workers have not received corresponding pay raises despite these record profits.
Many striking workers are involved in Samsung’s foundry operations, which produce some of the world’s most sophisticated computer chips. Experts note that Samsung has a history of being unfriendly toward unions and lacks experience in negotiating with its employees.
According to Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, if the Samsung workers succeed in their efforts, it could empower labor movements throughout South Korea.