Seoul: Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday voted to launch a general strike in May over performance-based bonuses, union officials said. In a vote that began March 9, 93.1 percent of 66,000 participants supported the strike plan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, more than 73 percent of a combined 90,000 members of three labor unions, including the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), participated in the vote. Through this vote, unionized workers have secured the legal grounds for collective action after a government arbitration commission decided to halt mediation earlier this month.
If the strike is realized, it would mark the second walkout since the tech giant's founding. The first strike, led by the NSEU, was launched in 2024, when workers demanded higher pay. The unionized workers have been engaged in negotiations with the management since November, calling for greater transparency in the criteria for calculating performance-based bonuses, the removal of a cap on bonuses, and a 7 percent wage increase.
Management has proposed measures to improve compensation and benefits, including a 6.2 percent wage increase and the issuance of 20 company shares, while addressing the unions' transparency demands. However, a key sticking point remains the cap on additional incentives tied to operating profits by business division, amid strong contributions from the semiconductor unit.