Workers in Samsung Electronics’ smartphone, television and home appliance division will stage a rally on July 16 over what they describe as an unfair gap in bonuses between their unit and the company’s semiconductor business.
The protest follows a wage agreement secured by workers in Samsung’s chip division through another union. Under that deal, semiconductor employees stand to receive far larger bonuses than staff in the consumer electronics business.
According to Yonhap News Agency, workers in Samsung’s non-chip division will receive treasury shares worth 6 million won (about $3,900) for 2026. By contrast, employees in the semiconductor division could receive bonuses of up to 600 million won.
The planned demonstration will take place near Samsung’s headquarters in Suwon. Yonhap reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 workers are expected to join the rally.
The protest is being organised by the company’s largest union representing workers in its mobile and consumer electronics division. The union has about 28,000 members.
Union members argue that the company’s strong financial performance should benefit employees across the business rather than those in the semiconductor division alone.
Before Samsung workers announced the rally, the union tried to stop the bonus vote through the courts but was unsuccessful.
Samsung is expected to release its April-to-June earnings estimate on Tuesday. Analysts expect the company to report that its operating profit rose about 18-fold from the same period last year, largely driven by its semiconductor business.
