Participation in the indefinite general strike organized by the Samsung Electronics labor union is steadily waning. On July. 12., the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), the largest union at Samsung Electronics, held a rally in front of the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) line at the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus. The company estimated attendance at around 100-150 people, while the union did not disclose its estimate. The previous day’s rally at the Giheung 8-inch wafer production line saw approximately 150 participants according to the company, while the union claimed 350. The general strike resolution meeting on July. 8. drew about 3,000 people by company figures and 6,500 by union figures.
The NSEU chose the HBM line building as a protest site, saying, “If we shut down the HBM equipment, management will immediately respond.” HBM is a critical semiconductor for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The union’s goal is to get key process employees to join the strike, directly affecting production. According to the NSEU, the strike has already caused adjustments on some production lines. However, the company maintains that production is continuing normally without any disruptions.
As the strike continues, employee sentiment appears to be growing colder. On a private forum for Samsung Electronics employees, some posts expressed concerns like, “With the semiconductor market finally recovering from last year’s significant losses, is this really the best time for a strike?” and “If we halt production as the union demands, even our current customers might switch to competitors.” Other comments suggested, “Given the progress made so far, it might be better to return to the negotiating table and resume normal discussions.”
The NSEU plans to hold another rally in front of the 8-inch wafer fab at the Giheung Campus on July. 15. and a rally at the Hwasung Campus Foundry H3 Zone on July. 16. The union continues the strike, demanding a 5.6% salary increase (higher than the 5.1% agreed upon at the labor-management council earlier this year), changes to the performance bonus criteria, and the guarantee of a union founding holiday.
