Samsung union declares indefinite general strike in South Korea

On Wednesday, a union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea announced an indefinite general strike Wednesday to force the tech giant's management into negotiating better pay. 

The strike, the largest in the company's history, intensifies pressure on the company, which last week predicted a significant increase in operating profit for the second quarter.

Samsung Electronics is the world's largest producer of memory chips. It holds a significant share of the world's production of high-end chips used for generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

More than 5,000 union members began a three-day general strike Monday as part of their fight for better wages and other benefits.

"The company has no intention to engage in a dialogue even after the first general strike, thus we declare a second general strike starting from July 10th, lasting indefinitely," the Samsung Electronics National Union said in a statement.

The union, which has more than 30,000 members, more than a fifth of the company's workforce, held a 24-hour strike in June, which was the first in the company's history. Samsung Electronics did not have a union until 2019.

Samsung told AFP on Wednesday that the strike will not affect production.