Thousands of Samsung Electronics workers protested in South Korea, demanding higher bonuses and threatening a strike amidst record profits fueled by the artificial intelligence boom. Workers gathered at the Pyeongtaek chip complex, calling for transparent compensation and the removal of bonus limits.
Samsung's main competitor, SK Hynix, recently reported its best-ever quarterly results, citing soaring global investment in data centers and AI infrastructure for the surge in memory chip demand. Samsung, a leading memory chip producer alongside SK Hynix, forecasts a record first-quarter operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won.
The Samsung union, representing roughly 74,000 workers, contends that the company's compensation package is inadequate despite its strong financial performance. They have rejected management's proposals for restricted stock bonuses and are pushing to eliminate bonus caps.
If negotiations fail, the union has threatened an 18-day strike starting May 21, which they estimate could cost the company over 1 trillion won daily. "We won’t stop this fight until our fair demands are met," stated a union leader. South Korean semiconductor firms have largely benefited from the AI surge, although the conflict in the Middle East presents potential supply chain and energy cost challenges.