Samsung’s largest workers’ organization, the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), has announced plans to stage a walkout next week to demand fair compensation. The union members are threatening to stop work for a day on June 7, following months of stalled wage negotiations. If it proceeds, BNN Bloomberg reports that it will be the first-ever strike by Samsung employees since the company’s founding.
The NSEU, which boasts about 28,000 members—over a fifth of Samsung’s total workforce—announced the walkout at a press conference. Union officials held a banner that read, “We can no longer tolerate labor repression, union repression.”
If it happens, the walkout will mark the first-ever strike by South Korean workers at the world’s leading memory chipmaker. In recent weeks, workers have been intermittently protesting outside the company’s offices in Seoul and its chip production site in Hwaseong, south of Seoul.
Samsung has decided to increase wages this year by 5.1%. However, the union demands an additional day of annual leave and more transparent performance-based bonuses. Negotiations continue as the strike date approaches.
Samsung Electronics released a statement on Wednesday saying, “We will sincerely engage in discussions with the union.”
The strike announcement comes at a critical time for Samsung, one of the world’s biggest chipmakers and smartphone manufacturers, which is currently facing challenges in some sectors, including cutting-edge semiconductor chips. Union officials defended the timing of their industrial action, despite some of Samsung’s business segments underperforming.
Son Woo-mok, president of the NSEU, told reporters that the company has repeatedly claimed to be in crisis over the past decade. He added that Samsung should not use these claims as an excuse to avoid meeting the union’s demands. The union indicated that all company sites across South Korea would be impacted by the June 7 action.
The planned strike highlights growing labor tensions within South Korea’s largest conglomerate. With the increasing global demand for semiconductors, the strike could have significant repercussions not only for Samsung but also for the global tech industry.
Labor experts suggest that this walkout could set a precedent for labor relations in South Korea, where large conglomerates traditionally maintain tight control over labor conditions. The outcome of this strike could influence labor movements across the country’s tech sector, signaling a shift towards greater labor activism and potentially reshaping corporate-labor dynamics.
As the date of the walkout approaches, all eyes will be on Samsung and the NSEU. The success or failure of these negotiations could impact the company’s operations and set the tone for future labor relations within South Korea’s technology industry.
