Samsung Electronics' union threatens ‘first-ever strike’ amidst wage negotiation break-off

The reason for this action has been cited as "disrespectful attitude of the management towards the employees".

The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the largest union at Samsung Electronics representing thousands of workers, has declared the intention to stage a strike on 7 June 2024 “due to the management's attitude of disregarding the workers” after a failure of wage negotiation processes, as reported by multiple news outlets in South Korea.

According to The Chosun Daily, the union stated that its 28,400 members will take a day off collectively on 7 June 2024 as an initial protest action. The union said at a press briefing held at Samsung Electronics’ Seocho office in Seoul on Wednesday (29 May 2024) that the "management’s disrespectful attitude towards its employees" is the reason for the action.

If this happens, it will mark the first-ever strike by Samsung Electronics workers since the company was established in 1969.

Additionally, the union claimed to have planned a bus sit-in protest in front of the Seocho office building.

“It can still be seen as a passive strike, but we will take further steps. We may escalate to a general strike,” cited the union representative in the newspaper.

This comes after the break-off of wage negotiation between the workers and the company earlier this year. As reported, both parties failed to reach a consensus in wage talks as the union demanded a 6.5% pay rise, while the average wage increase rate set by the company was at 5.1%.

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