Overview
- Samsung’s largest labor groups, which rallied at the Pyeongtaek chip campus on Thursday, warned they will strike from May 21 to June 7 if talks fail.
- Following Thursday’s action, union-cited figures reported by Seoul Economic Daily said overnight foundry output fell about 58% and memory output about 18%.
- The unions want the 50% bonus cap scrapped, 15% of annual operating profit paid as performance bonuses, and a 7% base pay rise, while management offers 10% of operating profit and added benefits.
- Samsung sought a court injunction on April 16 to block any occupation of production lines and warned it would pursue legal action if safety facilities are disrupted, as the union challenges the company’s essential-worker designations.
- Workers point to SK Hynix’s removal of bonus caps and richer payouts as a trigger for departures, and analysts say a prolonged walkout could delay shipments, lift chip prices, and hand rivals an edge because even brief fab stoppages can spoil production runs.