Syed Imran Haider 
On Monday, Samsung Electronics’ employees went on a three-day strike. Their union said that if the biggest conglomerate in South Korea does not meet its demand, they should expect further action.
There are almost 30,000 members part of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU). They make up about one fourth of the South Korean workforce of the company.
Along with a pay hike, the union has demanded changes be made to the employee bonus system and unionized workers should also be given an additional day of annual leave.
The strike
According to analysts, the strike is unlikely to have a big impact on the output of the biggest memory chipmaker in the world.
This is due to automated production and low participation. Nonetheless, it does highlight a decline in the morale of the workforce.
Moreover, it comes at a crucial time for the chip industry, as tech companies are moving towards artificial intelligence (AI).
It was last month that the union had launched its first industrial action. It had focused on coordination of annual leave for staging a mass walkout.
According to Samsung, it did not have any impact on its business activity. On Monday, the company said that their production had not been disrupted.
The union
According to the union, this week will see 6,540 workers go on strike. It did not disclose the level of participation in the strike that happened in the previous month.
The workers who are going on strike this week are working at manufacturing sites, or are a part of product development.
The union said that some of the workers going on strike are those who oversee automated production lines and equipment. Therefore, there could be an impact on operations.
According to union officials, 3,000 of the workers who had gone on strike also attended a rally. This was held close to the company’s headquarters south of Seoul in Hwaseong.
They had attended the rally in the rain. Media reports claimed that there was low participation in the strikes. However, Son Woo-mok, the Union president, disputed said reports.
He said that their union was relatively young and they did not have the time to educate their members about the issues.
The future
The vice president of the union, Lee Hyun-kuk, said that more strikes would happen if Samsung does not offer better proposals.
Lee said that the proposals put forth by Samsung do not meet their demands of increasing leave and pay. They only offer flexibility in annual leave conditions and pay.
Union officials are also demanding a bonus system based on equality. They said that bonuses for executives are calculated on the basis of personal performance goals.
Meanwhile, those given to rank-and-file workers are calculated after the cost of capital is deducted from operating profit.
The union has seen its membership rise since 2020. This was after Samsung said that it would no longer discourage organized labor.
Analysts said that the union’s voice is growing and cannot be ignored any longer. Meanwhile, Samsung is facing rising competition is chips used for AI applications.
