The movement for a general strike among Samsung Electronics workers is intensifying, drawing attention as employees share their strike experiences on anonymous workplace forums.
On May 14, a Samsung employee identified as A posted on the anonymous community "Blind" with the title, "Was it fun to mock Samsung Hyuksu?"
In the post, A stated, "Now Samsung Hyuksu will repay with a general strike," adding, "The labor-management relationship is already shattered, and don’t think this general strike will be the last one."
A expressed a firm stance, saying, "Whether operating profit hits -100 trillion won or not, we will go all the way." The term "Samsung Hyuksu" is a derogatory reference to Samsung Electronics employees, derived from "Samsung Revolution Defense Corps."
The post prompted responses from workers in other industries sharing their own union experiences. One commenter, identifying as a Korea Railroad Corporation employee, wrote, "As someone who has experienced a 74-day strike, I can say that eventually, you end up begging lawmakers from both parties for a reason to return."
He recalled, "The union leader at that time was the current Minister of Employment and Labor, Kim Young-hoon," and described striking as a lonely and hungry experience. He added, "I have bought Hyundai Motor and robotics stocks as a hedge."
A comment from a Hyundai Motor employee also gained attention. He noted, "Compared to the past decade, there have been almost no strikes at Hyundai in the last five years," explaining that Hyundai strikes are essentially annual events for labor and management to find a middle ground.
He continued, "When an actual strike occurs, both sides end up in an awkward situation," and warned that as time passes and wages decrease, workers might think, 'I should have accepted the previous offer.'"
He concluded, "From a worker's perspective, a dramatic resolution just before a strike is the best scenario," stating that actual strikes often result in conditions worse than those previously offered by management.
Other workers reacted to the comment, saying, "Hyundai's union experience is indeed different," and "The expert perspective is distinct; it's no wonder Hyundai's union is famous."
Recently, as the semiconductor market recovers and SK Hynix shows strength in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sector, concerns among investors are rising regarding Samsung Electronics due to performance bonus controversies and the potential for a union general strike.
Online discussions have included comments like, "Sell Samsung and go for Hynix," "The atmosphere among the staff is already tense," and "It seems the labor-management relationship has completely broken down."
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and its union have been unable to narrow their differences over wage and performance bonus systems, raising the possibility of a prolonged general strike and increasing tension in the industry.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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