Samsung union declares indefinite general strike in South Korea

On Wednesday, a union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea announced an indefinite general strike on Wednesday to force the technology giant’s management to negotiate better wages.

The strike, the largest in the company’s history, increases pressure on the company, which last week predicted a significant increase of operating profit in the second quarter.

Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest manufacturer of memory chips. The company holds a significant share of the global production of high-end chips for generative artificial intelligence (AI).

More than 5,000 union members began a three-day general strike on Monday as part of their fight for better wages and other benefits.

“The company has no intention to enter into a dialogue even after the first general strike, so we are declaring a second general strike starting on July 10 and lasting indefinitely,” the Samsung Electronics National Union said in a statement.

The union, which has over 30,000 members, more than a fifth of the company’s workforce, held a 24-hour strike in June that the first in the company’s history. Samsung Electronics did not have a union until 2019.

Samsung told AFP on Wednesday that The strike will not affect production.