Samsung Elec union in South Korea to strike between July 8 and 10, union official says

SEOUL (Reuters) – A workers’ union at Samsung Electronics (KS:) will strike between July 8 and 10, an union official said on Tuesday, as it steps up industrial action against the country’s most powerful conglomerate.

The union is figuring out how many unionised workers will join the strike, the official told Reuters by telephone.

Son Woo-mok, leader of the union, said late Monday the union wants a more transparent system for bonuses and time off, while asking the company to treat the union as an equal partner.

Samsung declined to comment on the union’s strike plan.

Union membership increased rapidly after Samsung in 2020 pledged to end to its practice of discouraging the growth of organised labour.

Experts say the potential impact on the chip giant’s business would depend on the size of workforce on semiconductor production lines will take part in the walkout. Most production lines at the world’s No. 1 memory chipmaker have been automated, according to experts.

Last month, the union staged a walkout using annual leave, its first such industrial action. At the time, Samsung said there was no impact on production or business activity.