Menace pour l'approvisionnement en puces ! La plus grande grève de l'histoire de Samsung entre dans le compte à rebours

Samsung Electronics’ largest union threatens an 18-day strike in May, which could impact about half of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer’s capacity, adding new uncertainty to the semiconductor supply chain already strained by surging AI data center demand.

On March 17, Reuters reported that Samsung Electronics’ largest strike plan is entering a voting countdown. Choi Seung-ho, chairman of the Samsung Electronics Labor Union (SELU), stated last week that union members are voting on the strike plan for May, and he predicted that “production disruptions are expected.” The voting ends this Wednesday, with approximately 90,000 union members eligible to participate, representing the vast majority of Samsung’s 125,000 employees in Korea.

If negotiations fail, workers plan to strike for 18 days starting May 21. Choi Seung-ho indicated that this action could affect about half of the output at Samsung’s Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant. An internal Samsung source cited in the report said, “Even a single strike causing shutdowns could damage customer trust, and it could take years to repair.”

Widening pay gap intensifies labor-management conflicts

The core of this labor dispute lies in the ongoing widening pay gap between Samsung and its competitors. The union SELU’s demands include: a 7% increase in base salary, the removal of the cap that performance-based pay cannot exceed 50% of the annual base salary, and the introduction of a profit-based bonus pool to replace the current standard, which the union considers “outdated and opaque.”

Choi Seung-ho pointed out that after SK Hynix accepted union demands for salary reform last September, the number of Samsung union members increased significantly in the following weeks. SK Hynix approved a plan to remove the bonus cap and allocate 10% of operating profit into the bonus pool.

According to SELU’s calculations, an employee in Samsung’s chip division with a base salary of 76 million won would receive about 38 million won in performance pay in 2025, which is less than one-third of what an SK Hynix employee at the same salary level could earn. Over the past three months, more than 100 union members have left Samsung to join competitors like SK Hynix.

Samsung’s strong performance but limited willingness to concede

Samsung Electronics posted its highest-ever profit in Q4 2025, with analysts expecting its full-year operating profit to surpass 200 trillion won (about $1.34 trillion), more than tripling from the previous year. However, this impressive performance has not resolved internal labor-management conflicts.

In response to union pressure, Samsung issued an internal memo earlier this month proposing an “unprecedented” compensation plan: a 6.2% overall salary increase and a special bonus mechanism for the memory chip division—distributing bonuses equivalent to 100% of the base salary for every 1 trillion won in annual operating profit.

A Samsung spokesperson stated that the company will “continue to engage in sincere dialogue with employees” and emphasized that semiconductor business profits fluctuate sharply, requiring a balance between future investments, shareholder returns, and employee compensation.

Lack of labor relations experience may heighten risks

Analysts warn that Samsung’s lack of experience in labor relations management could amplify the potential impact of this conflict. Samsung workers staged their first strike in 2024, despite Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s 2020 pledge to abandon the “union-free” image.

Seo Ji-yong, a business management professor at Sangmyung University, noted that unlike large Korean industrial groups such as Hyundai Motor, Samsung has long lacked experience and expertise in managing union risks. He said, “If management clings to old thinking and ignores union demands, this dispute could dampen Samsung’s profitability momentum.”

Meanwhile, external talent competition is also increasing Samsung’s talent loss pressure. Choi Seung-ho said Tesla is attracting Samsung chip designers with generous benefits. In February, Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly called on Korean chip industry workers to join Tesla, which is heavily investing in AI chips for autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.

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