For the first time since its establishment in 1969, the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (NSELU) declared an indefinite general strike on the 10th. Originally, NSELU had planned a strike for three days from the 8th, followed by a second strike for five days from the 15th. However, they revised their plans and started an indefinite strike on the 10th.
NSELU posted a statement on its website, stating, “We are going straight into an indefinite general strike as the management did not attempt any dialogue during the first strike period.”
The union demanded the management guarantee one day of leave for union establishment, a base pay increase rate of 3.5% for all union members, improvement of the performance-related pay system, and compensation for economic losses due to the strike.
NSELU told its members, “Your determination is needed to bring our goals and victory forward,” and asked them not to go to work until the executive guidelines are announced.
According to NSELU, 6,540 people expressed their intention to participate in the general strike on the 8th, with 5,211 from the departments of semiconductor equipment, manufacturing, and development (process).
NSELU set the purpose of the strike as production disruption, stating, “Regardless of the automation of the semiconductor factory, production disruption is inevitable without the personnel for equipment and inspection.”
However, the management explained that there have been no production disruptions so far, and the lines are operating normally. An industry insider said, “The number of participants has decreased since the first day of the general strike, indicating that the strike momentum is waning.”
NSELU is the largest labor union in the company with over 31,000 members. This is about 24.8% of the total number of Samsung Electronics employees (approximately 125,000).
