Thousands of workers in South Korea have pledged to extend indefinitely the first strike at Samsung Electronics, ramping up a campaign for better pay and benefits at one of the world’s largest smartphone and AI chip makers.
A union representing about 30,000 staff – about a quarter of its employees in South Korea – said members were extending industrial action that was originally meant to last only three days, after management failed to give any indication that it would hold talks with them.
“We haven’t spoken to management since we started the strike on Monday,” the National Samsung Electronics Union vice-president, Lee Hyun-kuk, said.
Members are demanding a 3.5% increase in base salary and a day off to mark the union’s founding. Lee said management previously offered a 3% rise in base salary but the union is pushing for an extra 0.5% to reflect inflation.
Lee said about 6,500 workers had been taking part in the strike this week, and the union was holding training sessions to encourage more to join. The union said it was already disrupting production on certain chip lines, with some equipment running more slowly.
“We are confident of our victory,” the union statement said.
However, Samsung denied the claims, saying there had been no impact on production at the leading subsidiary of the South Korean group. “Samsung Electronics will ensure no disruptions occur in the production lines. The company remains committed to engaging in good faith negotiations with the union,” the company said in a statement.
Rounds of talks were held between union members and management earlier this year but failed to result in an agreement. It resulted in some union members using their annual leave to hold a one-day walkout in June that was believed to be the first labour strike at Samsung Electronics.
It comes amid a fresh wave of union activity at major tech multinationals that have been in tense standoffs with workers over working conditions.
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That includes Amazon, where workers at its Coventry warehouse in the UK started voting in a “historic” trade union recognition ballot that could allow employees of the online retailer in Britain to bargain collectively for rights and pay for the first time.