Samsung employees in South Korea staged their first ever strike on June 7th, led by the Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union ( NSEU). This traditional celebration involved nearly 28, 000 union people, representing about one- five of Samsung’s labor in South Korea.
The attack targeted Samsung’s device division, which manufactures a variety of vital components such as RAM, NAND display chips, USB sticks, SD cards, Exynos processors, cameras sensors, modems, NFC chips, and power/display controllers.
The motion highlighted deep-rooted issues with unionization at Samsung, indicating a major shift in the organization’s labor dynamics. Union users posted obvious notices detailing their grievances and demands on Samsung service doors throughout the hit.
Lee Hyun- kuk, evil president of the National Samsung Electronics Union, described this motion as “largely metaphorical, but it’s a beginning”. He made it clear that the union has emergency plans for upcoming scares if management does n’t file its problems. Additionally, he further stated that a general attack could be planned out entirely, underscoring the union’s unwavering support for their needs.
The union is pushing for a 6.5 % salary hike, in contrast to the company’s proposed 5.1 % raise, as well as an additional day of annual leave and a more transparent approach to calculating bonuses. Prizes are particularly crucial because they account for a sizable portion of an employee’s salary.
In 2023, the method for calculating prizes, which takes into account both running revenue and cost of capital, resulted in no payouts being paid to employees. According to the coalition, operating profit should be the only factor in bonuses. In the first quarter of this year, Samsung’s device department reported a profit of US$ 1.4 billion.
Samsung Group has consistently opposed labor negotiations, leading to policies that demand lower wages, little benefits, and extended work time.
In December 2013, the Korean Metal Workers ‘ Union ( KMWU), supported by theIndustriALL Global Union, revealed widespread violations of workers ‘ rights within Samsung. These violations included studies of kidnapping and physical assault on union leaders, as well as management-focused education programs intended to stop union creation.
Samsung’s reputation in the world IT sector is even hampered by its labor-intensive working environment, which entails long days and a reliance on precarious employment arrangements. The company positively discourages unionized vulnerable employees from joining unions and makes pressure on them to disengage from their delegate organizations.
This practice involves paying union members lower wages and monitoring them closely, which raises important honest questions about how Samsung treats its workforce in the technology sector.
Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd’s labor structure reveals major discrepancies because it is structured. Highly paid professionals and those involved in research and development are essential for creativity and product creation.
In the middle level are experienced tradespeople and manufacturing staff needed for production but frequently encountered difficult conditions at Samsung’s world businesses, including those in South Korea.
At the lower end of Samsung’s work order are workers employed by companies and subcontractors, a team for whom Samsung denies duty despite their important part in the company’s operations.
The intensive work environment at Samsung became clear during the 2012 Samsung vs. Apple trademark test, which exposed stringent working conditions for research and development staff. The strenuous nature of the job, including the long workdays that had an impact on one’s personal well-being and family life, was brilliantly depicted in the testimony of key designer Wang Jee-yuen.
Women make up the majority of Samsung’s skilled workforce, generally coming from smaller towns to function in semiconductor labs. They endure lengthy swings, rotating schedule and coverage to harmful substances.
Samsung is not the only company to exploit its employees. According to research, today’s phone workers are abused 25 times more than textile staff in 19th-century England. The iPhone workers ‘ incredibly high exploitation rate is 2 458 %.
This results in employees producing the goods that increase the company’s profits, but only a small portion of their day’s earnings are paid for it.
Amazon, a significant company in the US, is famous for its hard working conditions. As part of their daily task risks, Amazon employees encounter natural stress, workplace accidents, and mental health issues.
The business makes use of innovative surveillance systems to carefully monitor employee behavior. Although Amazon claims that these measures improve safety, employees frequently feel pressured to move at an exceptionally rapid pace in order to meet productivity goals.
Secondly, Amazon has actively opposed labor attempts among its workforce. The business spent$ 4.2 million on professionals in 2021 to dissuade employees from joining organizations.
However, with the establishment of the Amazon Labor Union ( ALU), which would be the first union at an Amazon US facility, workers made a significant breakthrough on April 1, 2022. This success was the result of a year-long battle against Amazon’s aggressive techniques against unions, and it attracted the support of engaged workers and administrators at the Staten Island warehouse.
In 2011, employees at the Maruti- Suzuki Manesar IMT plant in India applied to record a new coalition, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union ( MSEU), in Chandigarh. Management reportedly pressured employees to sign paperwork pledging not to visit the MSEU after learning about this initiative.
In reply, 3, 000 staff launched a sit- in attack on June 4, 2011, at the Manesar Plant, demanding acknowledgment of the MSEU. To further strain the workers, control fired 11 employees, including MSEU business bearers, on June 6 of that year, accusing them of inciting the attack.
Maruti Suzuki has changed its workforce strategy over time by reducing the number of contract workers working in precarious conditions while keeping a smaller core of permanent employees.
These labor movements demonstrate the ongoing global fight of workers against exploitation by powerful corporations. They stress the difficulties and unfair treatment that the workers are subject to and the need for systemic reform to ensure fair treatment and the equitable distribution of the profits from their labor.
Pranjal Pandey, a journalist and editor based in Delhi, has edited seven books that cover a variety of topics for LeftWord. On NewsClick, you can read more about his journalistic contributions. in.
This article was produced by Globetrotter and is licensed for publication.