Samsung workers begin three-day general strike over wage problems

On Monday, workers at South Korean technology giant Samsung began a three-day general strike over pay and benefits, said the head of a union representing tens of thousands of employees. AFPand warned that the measure could affect the production of memory chips.

“The strike started today,” said Son Woo-mok, chairman of the National Samsung Electronics Union, Reuters.

“Today’s general strike is just the beginning… We want to remind you why we are here. Please do not come to work or answer any work-related calls until July 10,” he urged the workers.

Thousands of workers gathered in front of the foundry and semiconductor factory of one of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturers in Hwaseong. They wore jackets and armbands with the words “Fight in Solidarity”.

Samsung management has been in negotiations with the union since January, but the two sides have failed to resolve differences over benefits and have also rejected the company’s offer to increase salaries by 5.1 percent.

More than a fifth of the workforce is on strike

About 5,200 people from the factory, manufacturing and development sectors took part in the protest, the union said. “Do you still not think this will affect your production line?” said Lee Hyun-kuk, vice president of the union.

Last week, the union, which has more than 30,000 members, or more than a fifth of the company’s total workforce, announced a three-day strike.

The first collective action by the company, which had not organized unions for decades, followed a one-day strike in June. “We are now at a critical crossroads,” the union said in an appeal it sent to its members last week, urging them to support the strike.

“This strike is the last card we have to play,” they said, and the company’s workers must “act as one.” “I’m really excited,” said one union member and protester. AFP.

“We are making history.”

Semiconductors are considered the lifeblood of the global economy, as they are used in everything from home appliances to phones to cars to weapons. Yet demand for advanced chips that power artificial intelligence systems has skyrocketed thanks to the success of ChatGPT and other generative AI products.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Commerce, semiconductors are South Korea’s top export, reaching $11.7 billion in March, the highest level in nearly two years, and accounting for a fifth of South Korea’s total exports.