Leaders of a South Korean union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics staged a protest Thursday outside the house of the company鈥檚 chairman and heir, after fresh negotiations failed.
Thousands of union members stopped working on July 8 for what was initially meant to be a three-day strike, part of a long-running battle over pay and benefits. The union subsequently extended the work stoppage 鈥榠ndefinitely鈥�.
It is unclear exactly how many workers have downed tools, and Samsung has said the action is not affecting production, posting record growth and profits earlier this week for the second quarter.
鈥業f a delay occurs in semiconductor processing, the effects won鈥檛 be immediate. It takes weeks or months,鈥� Lee Hyun-kuk, vice-president of the National Samsung Electronics Union, told AFP.
The union engaged in eleventh-hour talks with management for three days, until Wednesday, but has failed to reach an agreement.
Union executives gathered on Thursday outside Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong鈥檚 house, holding pickets that read 鈥楽amsung Electronics鈥� strike, Lee Jae-yong should be accountable鈥�.
Another displayed a picture of Lee holding a finger to his mouth with the caption, 鈥楽hh! Labour union, what鈥檚 that? Samsung strike, what鈥檚 that?鈥�
