It has been a month since the first ever strike at Samsung, the electronics giant, grabbed headlines. At the time, the employees had stayed away from work for just a day, in South Korea, after announcing the planned strike on 29 May, 2024. The striking employees had used their annual leave to stage that walkout, and the protest had not disrupted work or production. Now, the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), which has a strength of at least 28,000, has called a three-day strike, which is expected to disrupt production.
More than 6,500 workers—primarily from the manufacturing and product development units—are expected to participate in the three-day strike. However, experts believe production/operations will not be significantly affected.
About 22 per cent of Samsung Electronic’s 1.25 lakh employees are members of this union, and they are seeking better pay, as well as changes in the bonus payout, leave for union members and so on.
Clearly, the workers are not satisfied. The increasing reliance of the chip-manufacturing sector on artificial intelligence is only adding to their woes.
The Union was born only about five years ago, and has only just begun to spread awareness among members about their rights and the various issues they need to focus on. The union demans a day’s vacation for all employees and a significant pay hike for the members who did not sign the 2024 salary negotiation agreement. It also seeks more paid leave for workers along with compensation for the loss of pay suffered during strikes.
If the demands of the workers are not met, there may be further strikes. Samsung has offered pay and leave flexibility, but the employees are seeking better wages and more leave, along with a fair and transparent bonus system.
While the senior employees or executives are paid bonuses basis their personal performance targets, the bonus for employees in the lower rungs is reportedly calculated by subtracting the cost of capital from operating profits.
