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Samsung Display sees 1st strike in firm's history

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Two unionized worker from Samsung Display join a walkout at the firm's factory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap
Two unionized worker from Samsung Display join a walkout at the firm's factory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

Unionized workers from Samsung Display staged a temporary walkout Monday after failing to reach a compromise on a wage hike, marking the first strike among electronics affiliates of Samsung after its chief Lee Jae-yong pledged last year to drop the company's "no unions" policy

Six representatives of the union joined the walkout at the firm's plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, accusing management of "not being sincere in our dialogue."

The walkout began around 11 a.m. and lasted for 90 minutes.

The participants represented about 2,400 union members, or 10 percent of all workers at Samsung Display.

Whether the union will launch a full-scale strike has yet to be decided.

The union asked for a 6.8 percent increase in base pay, while the company insisted on a 4.5 percent raise. Mediation by the labor ministry also failed to narrow the difference between the two sides.

"This strike is not just about a difference of 2.3 percentage points," a union representative said, arguing the firm was not transparent or objective in its negotiations.

"We will not step back and our fight will only get tougher," he said.

The firm said it was willing to resume negotiations at any time, saying, "The dialogue channel is open."

The union was formed in 2020 under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.

Samsung head Lee vowed to scrap the family-owned conglomerate's "no unions" policy in May 2020 when he made a rare public apology for wrongdoings related to his inheriting the top job from his father Lee Kun-hee, who died in October 2020.


Yi Whan-woo yistory@koreatimes.co.kr


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