Samsung Unions Approve May Strike with 93% Support

Samsung Electronics labor unions in South Korea have voted overwhelmingly in favor of a general strike set to begin in May, potentially disrupting production at the company's key semiconductor facilities and exacerbating global chip supply shortages. The action, approved by 93.1 percent of participating members, would mark the first such walkout in nearly two years and only the second in the company's 57-year history.

The Joint Struggle Headquarters, a coalition of three major unions including the Samsung Electronics Labor Union with about 66,000 members, secured the legal right to strike following a ballot in which 73.5 percent of roughly 90,000 eligible workers participated. Of the 66,019 votes cast, 61,456 supported the measure. The unions represent a significant portion of Samsung's 125,000 South Korean employees, particularly in the device solutions division that handles semiconductors.

At the heart of the dispute are wage negotiations for 2026, which have deadlocked after more than three months of talks that began in November. The unions demand a 7 percent increase in base salaries, the elimination of a 50 percent cap on performance-based bonuses tied to annual base pay,...