Samsung and unions

The electronics manufacturer Samsung Electronics has assembly plants and sales networks in 74 countries and employs more than 270,000 workers. Employees in South Korea went on a one-day strike on 7 June 2024. It was the first time employees in the Samsung Group went on strike.

Samsung, the parent conglomerate historically has a no-union policy and has been engaged in union-busting activities around the world, including setting up management unions, surveilling workers and retaliating against workers who try to unionize. Samsung was sued by Samsung Electronics Service Workers trade union for stealing the corpse of a dead worker.

South Korea
In August 2021, Samsung Electronics signed a collective agreement with 4 different trade unions. This happened after Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong was released from prison for corruption including union busting. A year prior in May 2020, Lee Jae-yong apologized for Samsung's union-busting.

Samsung Electronics Service is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics and relies on in-house subcontractor firms that are de facto owned by Samsung. In July 2023, the Samsung Electronics Service Workers was created, and is affiliated to the Korean Metal Workers' Union which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union. Initially, Samsung Electronics claimed no responsibility for its subcontractors, but after series of strikes starting in January 2014, the union reached a basic collective agreement in June 2014.

Samsung Electronics employees went on a one-day strike on 7 June 2024. It was the first time employees in the Samsung Group went on strike. The strike led by the National Samsung Electronics Union (전국삼성전자노동조합) represents 28,000 workers or a quarter of the total workforce and is the largest of 5 trade unions at Samsung.

6,500 workers went on a strike on 8 July 2024, which was initially planned to be for three days but was converted into an indefinite strike due to lack of response from management.

External

 * National Samsung Electronics Union (Official website in Korean)