SOUTH KOREA: Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics have declared an indefinite strike starting Wednesday to pressure South Korea's largest company to meet their demands for higher pay and additional benefits.

Initially, thousands of members of the National Samsung Electronics Union initiated a temporary three-day strike on Monday. However, the union announced Wednesday that the strike would continue indefinitely, accusing management of being unwilling to negotiate. Despite the strike, Samsung Electronics has reported no disruptions in production.

"Samsung Electronics will ensure no disruptions occur in the production lines," a company statement said. "The company remains committed to engaging in good faith negotiations with the union." However, the union claimed on its website that there have been unspecified disruptions in the production lines to compel management to negotiate. "We are confident of our victory," the union statement declared.

The union did not specify how many members would participate in the indefinite strike. Previously, 6,540 members had pledged to join the initial three-day strike, which represents a small fraction of Samsung Electronics' global workforce of approximately 267,860 employees, with around 120,000 based in South Korea.

Earlier this year, union members and management held several rounds of talks to discuss demands for higher wages and improved working conditions but failed to reach an agreement. In June, some union members participated in a one-day walkout using their annual leave, which observers noted as the first labor strike at Samsung Electronics. The National Samsung Electronics Union, the largest union at the company, reportedly has about 30,000 members, with some workers belonging to smaller unions.

In 2020, Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong, then vice chairman, vowed to cease efforts to suppress employee unionization, expressing remorse over his alleged involvement in a major 2016 corruption scandal that led to the removal of South Korea's president. Samsung's union-busting practices have been criticized for decades, despite labor actions being common in other South Korean businesses and sectors.

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