The Samsung Electronics union, which has warned of a general strike in May, said on the 19th it will hold a press conference in front of Chairman Lee Jae-yong's home to announce the start of industrial action.
The National Samsung Electronics Labor Union (Jeonsamno) said it will hold a "Condemn incompetent management! Press conference to declare the start of industrial action" at 10 a.m. on the 23rd.
Through a declaration, Jeonsamno said, "For the past several months, we have empathized with the company's crisis and, with patience, engaged in the 2026 wage talks," adding, "However, until the final stage of mediation, management shifted responsibility for its failures onto employees and ignored reasonable demands for system improvements."
Jeonsamno said, "Our united and resolute action will clearly prove on whose dedication the company's dazzling production has been sustained," adding, "We will never stop until management acknowledges responsibility for its failures and brings a documented, transparent compensation system."
After wage talks with management collapsed, the Samsung Electronics union joint struggle headquarters applied for mediation with the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC). The NLRC decided to discontinue mediation, and the union held a strike ballot and secured the right to strike with a 93.1% approval rate.
The Samsung Electronics union joint struggle headquarters includes the Samsung Electronics Branch of the super-company union, which has secured more than 60,000 members—over half of the total—as well as Jeonsamno and the Samsung Electronics Union Donghaeng.
They plan to hold a large rally in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, in April and begin a general strike starting May 21. If the strike materializes, it will be the second strike since the first in July 2024.