Workers at Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) initiated a three-day strike on Monday to demand better pay, with their union warning of additional actions if South Korea’s largest conglomerate fails to meet their demands.
The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), representing approximately 30,000 members, nearly a quarter of the company’s South Korean workforce, is also seeking an extra day of annual leave for unionized workers and changes to the employee bonus system.
Analysts suggest that low participation and automated production will likely minimize the strike’s impact on output at the world’s largest memory chipmaker. However, the strike highlights a decline in employee loyalty during a critical period for the chip industry as tech companies increasingly adopt artificial intelligence.
Last month, the union’s initial industrial action involved coordinating annual leave for a mass walkout, which Samsung reported had no effect on business operations. The company declined to comment on the current strike.
The union, which did not disclose participation numbers from last month, reported that 6,540 workers are striking this week, mainly at manufacturing sites and in product development. It noted that the strike includes workers who oversee automated production lines and equipment, potentially affecting operations.
Approximately 3,000 strikers attended a rally in the rain near Samsung’s headquarters in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, according to union officials.
Union president Son Woo-mok refuted media claims of low participation, telling Reuters that the five-year-old union had insufficient time to educate its members.
“Education about labor unions … has not been enough. But I don’t think this participation is low because our union is still young compared to other unions,” he said.
Lee Hyun-kuk, the union’s vice president, indicated that further strikes could occur if Samsung does not improve its proposals.
