The first indefinite strike in Samsung's history

Some Samsung workers have been on strike since July 8 to demand better working conditions.This is the company's first strike and it is destined to last.

• Until 2019, Samsung did not have a union because the owners had always opposed it.
• Now the union is asking for a 3.5 percent increase in salary and an extra day of vacation.
• The aim of the strike is to create problems for production.

At the Samsung, in South Korea, the first indefinite strike in the company's history was called.The national workers' union has been mobilizing since 8 July to ask better working conditions, after there had already been a first form of strike in May.So far 6,500 workers have participated, but the numbers could grow.

Negotiations with the owners have brought no results and an indefinite strike is starting to take place some production problems, which is however largely automated.The union stressed that the mobilization will continue until Samsung meets all their demands.

Why are there strikes at Samsung?

Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics company, among the world's largest manufacturers of consumer electronics and household appliances.Founded in 1969, it is one of the flagship companies of the Samsung Group.

Today Samsung Electronics has approx 135 thousand employees.A quarter of these around 31 thousand, are part of the national workers' union, founded in 2019 after all that time the owners had blocked the unionization of their workers.Since last January the union has started negotiations with the company's owners to obtain an increase of 3.5 percent of the base salary, a revamp of the payment structure and a day of extra holidays compared to those already granted to workers.

The negotiations led to a nothing done and in early June several workers had taken a day off to organize one strike, without this affecting the company.Now the situation has become more serious.

The goal is to stop production

A new announcement was made at Samsung Electronics on Monday 8 July three-day strike.Participation increased compared to the first mobilization in May, with 6,500 workers who crossed their arms.

The unions' dialogue with the owners continued but the strike did not lead to the desired results.On the day of July 10th the union he thus prolonged the strike, without setting an expiration date.This is the first indefinite strike in the history of Samsung.

The company is experiencing a golden moment, with shares that have never had such a high value and turnover that is performing better than expected.The union wants the workers to also benefit from it and the strike is the company's response to the wall, so as to put its business in difficulty. production.The union he announced of having blocked several production lines, especially in the chip production plant Pyeongtaek.Soon the action will turn towards the larger factories.Samsung's owners instead underlined that the strike is not having any effects on production, given that most of the processes are automated.