Samsung Electronics union members strike in South Korea – here are their demands

As Reuters reported, union members at Samsung Electronics have begun a general strike to demand better wages and working conditions from South Korea’s largest company.

The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), which represents around 28,000 employees or more than a fifth of Samsung’s workforce, has called an indefinite strike under the motto “no work, no pay” until its demands are met, according to union leader Son Woo-mok.

The union’s main demands include improvements to the performance-related bonus system and an additional day of annual leave. The strike came after several failed rounds of negotiations between the union and management.

“We are calling a general strike today,” Son announced in a live broadcast on YouTube. “Until our demands are met, we will fight with the general strike ‘No pay, no work’.”

This followed a one-day strike on June 7, which marked the first-ever work stoppage at the technology giant. This first strike mainly involved workers from Samsung’s semiconductor division.

The current strike is not only significant for Samsung, but for the entire South Korean corporate landscape. For decades, Samsung pursued a strict anti-union policy and only in recent years allowed organized workers. The company has long been considered a symbol of South Korea’s economic strength and global technological leadership.

But Samsung Electronics has faced challenges recently, particularly in its key semiconductor business. The company reported its weakest earnings in over a decade last year and lost ground to rivals in the booming market for advanced AI chips.

Samsung declined to comment on the expected duration of the strike or its potential impact on operations. The company had previously stated that previous industrial action had not affected production or business operations.