SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics' unionized employees in non-chip operations are planning a rally streak near Chairman Lee Jae-yong's residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, from Sept. 18, taking their demands for fairer compensation amid the chip windfall closer to the top of the C-suite.
An official of Donghaeng union, largely made up of employees in the Device eXperience (DX) division told AJP Saturday that the protest will go on without a fixed end date until demands are met, with one-person demonstrations planned on days when larger rallies cannot be held.
"The venue in Hannam has limited capacity, so we expect about 200 people to attend," the official said.
The union is demanding 1,000 Samsung Electronics shares for each DX employee, the creation of a company-wide compensation pool based on a fixed share of overall performance and the same base-pay increase across business divisions.
The dispute has been building since Samsung's wage agreement in May introduced substantially richer compensation for employees in the Device Solutions (DS) semiconductor division, benefiting from the AI-driven memory boom.
In July, more than 5,000 employees rallied outside Samsung's Suwon campus over what Donghaeng described as discriminatory treatment of DX workers.
The union argued that smartphones, televisions and home appliances had supported Samsung through earlier semiconductor downturns but were now being left behind as the company distributed much larger rewards to its chip businesses.
The rally extended to Samsung Electronics' Seocho headquarters on Aug. 21, demanding direct talks with the Seoul-based management over compensation.
The planned Hannam protest would take the campaign closer to Lee personally as the union feels its voice remains unheard.
AJP Takeaways
- Samsung Electronics' Donghaeng union will begin a long-term protest near Chairman Lee Jae-yong's Hannam-dong residence on Sept. 18 over compensation disparities between the DX and semiconductor divisions.
- About 200 union members are expected to attend because of limited space at the Hannam protest site.
- The DX-centered union is demanding 1,000 Samsung Electronics shares per employee, a company-wide performance compensation pool and equal base-pay increases across divisions.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.