We want TSMC-level salaries too! 37,000 Samsung employees stage sit-in protest demanding a "15% chip profit bonus," threatening a general strike otherwise.

📄Full Article· Automatically extracted by trafilaturaGemini 翻譯890 words

Today (the 23rd), more than 30,000 Samsung employees gathered outside the Pyeongtaek semiconductor complex in South Korea, demanding that the company allocate 15% of its operating profit as bonuses without a cap and increase salaries by 7%. Analysts estimate that the requested bonuses would reach 45 trillion KRW. Samsung management has currently proposed a 10% bonus ratio for negotiations, while the union has threatened an 18-day general strike starting May 21. (Previous coverage: High school graduates working as operators at SK Hynix see bonuses of up to 15 million TWD: Giving up on higher education was the right choice, life is sweet) (Background: SK Hynix Q1 operating margin hits 72%, setting a record for the highest single-quarter performance in the history of the semiconductor industry) According to reports, Samsung employees are eager to demand better pay. Police informed local media that approximately 30,000 Samsung employees gathered outside the Pyeongtaek semiconductor complex; the union's own count is 37,000. Their demands include allocating 15% of the company's operating profit as employee bonuses without a cap, and a 7% increase in base salary. If negotiations do not yield results by May 21, an 18-day general strike will be initiated. According to Korean media, notably, some Samsung shareholders also arrived to stage a "counter-protest," slamming the Samsung union's demands as "very greedy." Both labor and management expressed their positions at the entrance of the complex. External estimates for Samsung's full-year 2026 operating profit are approximately 306 trillion KRW, or about 207 billion USD. Based on the union's requested 15%, the bonus scale would reach about 45 trillion KRW, nearly four times the total dividend of 11.1 trillion KRW from last year. "No cap" is the most contentious point in this round of Samsung negotiations. Traditional bonus formulas usually have a ceiling; the union has removed the cap entirely this time, effectively tying employee compensation directly to company profits. Samsung management has proposed allocating 10% of operating profit as bonuses and has additionally promised to ensure that compensation for employees in the memory division remains "better than competitors." This means matching living standards and not falling behind TSMC. Talented individuals choose their employers wisely. SK Hynix's operating margin reached 72% in the first quarter of 2026, setting a record for the highest single-quarter performance in the history of the semiconductor industry; it is rumored that operator bonuses could reach up to 15 million TWD. TSMC also announced this week that senior S+ engineers will receive salary increases of up to 9%, with an average of 3-5%, and an average per-capita bonus of 2.64 million TWD, which in reality may be several times higher than the publicly disclosed figures. The "neighbor's" paychecks are simply too attractive, and it is certainly no coincidence that the Samsung union chose this moment to present its strongest set of demands. Samsung's chip division lagged behind SK Hynix in the HBM race in 2024 and is accelerating its efforts to catch up this year. If they continue to lose to their rivals in terms of compensation, it will likely become not just a matter of morale, but a matter of losing talent.

Data Status✓ Full text extractedRead Original (動區 BlockTempo)

🔍Historical Similar Events· Keyword + Asset Matching0 items

No similar events found (requires more data samples or embedding search; currently MVP keyword matching)

Raw Information

ID:1b4866ebe1

Source:動區 BlockTempo

Published:2026-04-23 06:39:09

Category:zh_news · Export Category zh

Symbols:Unspecified

Community Votes:+0 / −0 · ⭐ 0 Important · 💬 0 Comments