Seoul, July 2, 2024 — Workers at South Korea’s Samsung Electronics will begin a three-day general strike starting July 8, following unsuccessful negotiations over pay and working conditions, the National Samsung Electronics Union announced on Tuesday.
Lee Hyun-kuk, vice president of the union, confirmed the strike during a live YouTube broadcast on Monday. This upcoming strike will follow a historic one-day walkout in June, the first labour action at the company in decades.
The union is demanding a higher wage increase than the 5.1% pay raise offered by Samsung’s management. They are also seeking improvements to annual leave policies and a more transparent system for performance-based bonuses.
In a statement, the union accused management of failing to address their concerns adequately. “What will change if we do not act? Will you just watch and do nothing? Will you be a hidden slave or an active owner? Nothing will change if we do not act,” the statement said.
Samsung declined to comment on the planned strike. The company, the world’s largest producer of memory chips, has been in talks with the union since January.
Samsung Electronics has a long history of resisting unionization efforts. The first labour union at the company was formed only in the late 2010s, after nearly 50 years of opposition from the company’s founder, Lee Byung-Chul, who famously opposed unions during his lifetime.
The June strike marked a significant shift in labour relations at Samsung, highlighting growing worker dissatisfaction. The upcoming strike is expected to disrupt operations at the company, which is a major player in the global tech industry.
