A member of the National Samsung Electronics Union holds a placard that reads "Respect labour" in front of the Samsung Electronics Seocho Building in Seoul, South Korea, May 24, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
The National Samsung Electronics Union members raise their hands as they watch NewjeansNim's Dj-ing performance in front of the Samsung Electronics Seocho Building in Seoul, South Korea, May 24, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon The rapid growth of the union's membership comes after the country's most powerful conglomerate pledged in 2020 to put an end to its practices of discouraging the growth of organised labour.
Chanting"respect labour", the unionised engineers and office workers were also entertained by electronic dance music played by a well-known comedian-turned-DJ, who dresses as a Buddhist monk. Samsung this week replaced the head of its semiconductor unit saying a new person at the top was needed to navigate what it called a"crisis" affecting the chips industry.
In a statement to Reuters, Samsung Electronics said that working-level negotiations had resumed, and the main negotiations were scheduled to take place on May 28.Union officials say that among younger employees there is a growing perception that unions can help create a fairer workplace, whereas the older generation in the company felt unions could disrupt work productivity.