On Friday, employees of Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, staged a one-day strike. The strike organized by the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) is the first such action in the company’s 55-year history.
The strike comes as Samsung seeks to regain its lead in the production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are key components of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The company has fallen behind its competitors SK Hynix and Micron Technology in supplying these chips to Nvidia, a major player in the AI processor market.
What are the demands of Samsung workers? The NSEU, which represents about 28,000 members, or about a fifth of Samsung’s global workforce, called for the strike after multiple rounds of wage negotiations with the company failed. Trade union representatives say workers did not receive any bonuses last year and are demanding improvements to the performance-based bonus system and an additional day of annual leave.
Samsung said the strike had no impact on production or business operations because it fell between a public holiday and a weekend. The company also noted that fewer employees were on vacation compared to the previous year.
Industry analysts say that while the one-day strike is unlikely to immediately impact semiconductor production or supplies, it does enhance pressure on Samsung as it tries to catch up in the AI chip market. The strike also marks growing assertiveness among the company’s employees, who have only been able to organize unions in recent years due to Samsung’s historical reluctance to organize labor
The strike comes as Samsung seeks to regain its lead in the production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are key components of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The company has fallen behind its competitors SK Hynix and Micron Technology in supplying these chips to Nvidia, a major player in the AI processor market.
What are the demands of Samsung workers? The NSEU, which represents about 28,000 members, or about a fifth of Samsung’s global workforce, called for the strike after multiple rounds of wage negotiations with the company failed. Trade union representatives say workers did not receive any bonuses last year and are demanding improvements to the performance-based bonus system and an additional day of annual leave.
Samsung said the strike had no impact on production or business operations because it fell between a public holiday and a weekend. The company also noted that fewer employees were on vacation compared to the previous year.
Industry analysts say that while the one-day strike is unlikely to immediately impact semiconductor production or supplies, it does enhance pressure on Samsung as it tries to catch up in the AI chip market. The strike also marks growing assertiveness among the company’s employees, who have only been able to organize unions in recent years due to Samsung’s historical reluctance to organize labor