Samsung workers in South Korea take industrial action for first time
Al Jazeera
National Samsung Electronics Union, which represents tens of thousands of people, is pushing for better wages.
Staff at Samsung Electronics, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers and also one of the only companies producing high-end semiconductors, have taken industrial action for the first time as part of a six-month campaign for better pay.
Son Woo-mok, head of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), which represents tens of thousands of people, said that employees were taking their paid leave entitlements simultaneously on Friday.
“It’s difficult to provide an exact number, but from what I’ve seen of the workplace attendance in the morning, there is a significant difference from the usual,” he said.
Samsung has been locked in negotiations with the unions over pay since January. The company has offered a 5.1 percent pay rise this year, while the union has said that it wants an additional day of annual leave as well as transparent performance-based bonuses.
On Friday, Samsung said it had been “diligently engaging in negotiations and will continue to do so”, and that there had been no impact on production. The company’s chips are used for generative AI, including AI hardware from industry leaders including Nvidia.
