Limited number of workers at Samsung Electronics is set to launch a three-day strike on Monday (July 8) and low participation indicated that it will not disrupt production.
The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the biggest labor union with 29,000 members, will start the strike with a rally at the entrance of the company’s facility in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, Yonhap news agency report said. The strike at Samsung is scheduled to last through Wednesday.
The NSEU said some 8,000 participated in its previous survey for the planned strike, and more than 5,000 of them will likely join the collective action. The NSEU represents 24 percent of Samsung’s South Korean workforce.
The decision to go for a 3-day strike follows Samsung’s lack of support to finalize a deal with the NSEU over the wage increase rate, vacation system and bonuses.
Samsung Electronics generated operating profit of 10.4 trillion Korean won on sales of 74 trillion Korean won during the second-quarter of 2024.
The union has demanded a one-day vacation for all employees and a significant salary raise for the 855 members who did not sign the 2024 salary negotiation agreement.
The union also demanded the company offer more paid leave and provide compensation for economic losses incurred during unpaid strikes.
The NSEU claimed the company has refused to accept any of its demands in the two-week adjustment period that began June 13, holding the company solely responsible for any business losses incurred by the strike.
The union also warned that it would stage another five-day strike, starting July 15, if no progress is made during this week’s strike.
Analysts believe the strike is unlikely to disrupt production at the world’s largest memory chipmaker, citing the previous one-day collective action on June 7 had minimal impact.
The NSEU’s members account for approximately 24 percent of Samsung Electronics’ total workforce of about 125,000.
The union conducted its first industrial action last month, coordinating annual leave to effectively stage a mass walkout. Samsung has said the action had no impact on business activity. The company declined to comment on Monday’s strike.
The union, which did not disclose last month’s participation, said 6,540 workers are striking this week, mostly at manufacturing sites and in product development.
Workers gathered en masse on Monday near Samsung’s headquarters in Hwaseong, south of Seoul.
Union president Son Woo-mok disputed media reports of a low participation rate, telling Reuters that the fledgling union – founded five years ago – did not have enough time to educate rank-and-file union members.
Lee Hyun-kuk, a senior union leader, said last week that there could be another round of strikes if demands this time are not heard.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
