Thousands of Samsung workers launch indefinite strike over pay

Unionized workers astatine Samsung Electronics successful South Korea person indefinitely extended the first-ever onslaught astatine the institution successful a propulsion for amended wage and benefits. The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) rallied its implicit 30,000 members connected Wednesday aft the company’s enactment showed nary denotation of holding talks with the national pursuing a three-day walkout.

As reported by Reuters, the NSEU is demanding a 3.5 percent summation successful basal salary, an other time disconnected to people the union’s instauration day, and a fairer bonus strategy betwixt executives and lower-ranking workers. Samsung, the world’s largest shaper of representation chips, announced an estimated 15x summation successful operating profits for its latest quarter, pursuing a spike successful semiconductor prices driven by the ongoing AI boom.

The NSEU said its nonsubjective is to halt Samsung’s spot production, telling Reuters the onslaught had already slowed accumulation connected definite spot lines. Samsung refutes this, however, saying the three-day walkout hadn’t impacted spot production. “Samsung Electronics volition guarantee nary disruptions hap successful the accumulation lines,” the institution said successful a connection to Reuters, adding that it “remains committed to engaging successful bully religion negotiations with the union.”

Union officials said that 6,500 workers had participated successful the initial three-day strike that began connected Monday, and encouraged its remaining members — who marque up astir a 4th of Samsung Electronics South Korean workforce — to articulation the walkout. “It is clip that we request powerfulness and assistance from our chap members,” NSEU vice president Son Woo-mok said successful a YouTube unrecorded broadcast. “All members who participated successful the archetypal onslaught [should] proceed to strike.”

The walkout follows a major slump successful Samsung’s profits successful 2023, attributed to weakened request for representation chips. Anything that could jeopardize the company’s caller rebound gives it capable origin for concern, but fixed Samsung is liable for astir 20 percent of South Korea’s full GDP, the full state could perchance consciousness its impact.