Tuesday, July 09, 2024

South Korea Samsung union declares ‘indefinite’ strike

By AFP
July 9, 2024


A union representing thousands of Samsung workers says it is extending a strike indefinitely - Copyright AFP/File Jung Yeon-je

A union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea said Wednesday it would extend a three-day strike indefinitely in a bid to force management to negotiate.

“(We) declare a second indefinite general strike from July 10, after learning that the management has no willingness to talk,” the National Samsung Electronics Union said in a statement.

More than 5,000 members stopped working Monday for what was meant to be a three-day strike, part of a long-running battle over pay and benefits.

The move follows a one-day walkout in June, the first such collective action at the company, which went decades without unionisation.

The union has more than 30,000 members — more than a fifth of the company’s total workforce.

Samsung said Tuesday that there had been no disruption to production, the Yonhap news agency reported, although the union claimed that the strike was having a major impact.

“We have confirmed the clear disruption in production, and the management will regret this choice,” the union said in the statement announcing the indefinite strike.

“The longer the strike lasts, the more the management will suffer, and eventually, they will kneel and come to the negotiation table. We are confident of victory.”

The union blamed Samsung management for “obstructing” the strike, saying they did not appear willing to engage in dialogue.

It urged more workers to participate, including “those who are still hesitant”.

“Your determination is needed to advance our goals and victory. Let us unite our strength to protect our rights and create a better future.”

Samsung said it would provide comment later.



– Avoiding unions –



The union has been locked in negotiations with management since January, but the two sides have failed to narrow differences.

Workers have rejected the offer of a 5.1 percent pay hike, with the union having previously outlined demands including improvements to annual leave and transparent performance-based bonuses.

Samsung Electronics managed to avoid having its employees unionise for almost 50 years — sometimes adopting ferocious tactics, according to critics — while rising to become the world’s largest smartphone and semiconductor manufacturer.

Company founder Lee Byung-chul, who died in 1987, was adamantly opposed to unions, saying he would never allow them “until I have dirt over my eyes”.

The first labour union at Samsung Electronics was formed in the late 2010s.

The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

It is the world’s largest memory chip maker and accounts for a significant chunk of global output of the high-end chips.

Samsung recently predicted a more than 15-fold increase in its on-year second-quarter operating profits, thanks to growing demand for generative AI.



Samsung says ‘no disruption’ to production despite strike

ByAFP
July 9, 2024

Members of the National Samsung Electronics Union stage a rally during their three-day general strike - Copyright AFP Jung Yeon-je

South Korean tech giant Samsung said Tuesday that production was not being disrupted despite a three-day general strike by thousands of workers.

More than 5,000 members of the National Samsung Electronic Union stopped working Monday, the organisation said, as part of a long-running battle over pay and benefits.

The union has more than 30,000 members — more than a fifth of the company’s total workforce.

“There has been no disruption to production,” local media quoted Samsung as saying.

Park Seol, a senior member of the union, told AFP Tuesday that production was being affected.

“But more importantly, the company should understand that we aren’t trying just to affect their production line, we want them to hear our voice and understand how desperate we are,” he said.

The union has been locked in negotiations with management since January, but the two sides have failed to narrow differences on benefits and a 5.1 percent pay raise offer from the firm was rejected.

In a regulatory filing last week, Samsung Electronics said that its April-June operating profits were expected to rise to 10.4 trillion won ($7.54 billion), up 1,452.2 percent from 670 billion won a year earlier.

Sales, meanwhile, are expected to rise 23.3 percent to 74 trillion won, Samsung said.

Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest memory chip maker and accounts for a significant chunk of the global output of high-end chips.

Read more: https://www.digitaljournal.com/business/samsung-says-no-disruption-to-production-despite-strike/article#ixzz8fYFdbxfs


South Korea Samsung workers start strike: union chief*



By AFP
July 7, 2024

The Samsung strike follows a one-day walkout in June, the first such collective action at the company, which went decades without unionisation - Copyright AFP/File Jung Yeon-je

Workers at South Korean tech giant Samsung began a three day general strike Monday, the head of a union representing tens of thousands of employees told AFP, after talks with management broke down.

“The strike has started from today,” Son Woo-mok, head of the National Samsung Electronics Union, told AFP, adding that a major rally was scheduled later in the day.

The union, which has around 28,000 members, or more than a fifth of the company’s total workforce, announced the three day general strike last week, saying it was a last resort after talks broke down.

The move follows a one-day walkout in June, the first such collective action at the company, which went decades without unionisation.

Management at the firm, the world’s biggest producer of memory chips, has been locked in negotiations with the union over wages and benefits since January but the two sides have failed to narrow their differences.

“We are now at critical crossroads,” the union said in an appeal sent out to members last week, urging them to support the “critical” strike.

“This strike is the last card we can use,” the union said, saying that workers at the company needed to “act as one”.

“This strike is not just about improving working conditions, it is about taking back our rights that have been ignored so far,” it added.

Workers have rejected the offer of a 5.1 percent pay hike, with the union having previously outlined demands including improvements to annual leave and transparent performance-based bonuses.

Samsung declined a request for comment.



– Avoided unions –



Samsung Electronics avoided its employees unionising for almost 50 years — sometimes adopting ferocious tactics, according to critics — while rising to become the world’s largest smartphone and semiconductor manufacturer.

Company founder Lee Byung-chul, who died in 1987, was adamantly opposed to unions, saying he would never allow them “until I have dirt over my eyes”.

The first labour union at Samsung Electronics was formed in the late 2010s.

The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

It is world’s largest memory chip maker, and accounts for a significant chunk of global output of the high-end chips.

Samsung recently predicted a 15-fold increase in its on-year second quarter operating profits, thanks to growing demand for generative AI.

Semiconductors are the lifeblood of the global economy, used in everything from kitchen appliances and mobile phones to cars and weapons.

And demand for the advanced chips that power AI systems has skyrocketed thanks to the success of ChatGPT and other generative AI products.

Semiconductors are South Korea’s leading export and hit $11.7 billion in March, their highest level in almost two years, accounting for a fifth of South Korea’s total exports, according to figures released by the trade ministry.


* CHIEF NOT BOSS, A RIGHT WING DESIGNATION IMPYING CRIME BOSS

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