"Samsung Display sees 1st strike in firm's history", 21 June 2021

Unionized workers from Samsung Display staged a temporary walkout ...after failing to reach a compromise on a wage hike, marking the first strike among electronics affiliates of Samsung after its chief Lee Jae-yong pledged last year to drop the company's "no unions" policy

Six representatives of the union joined the walkout at the firm's plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, accusing management of "not being sincere in our dialogue."...

The union asked for a 6.8 percent increase in base pay, while the company insisted on a 4.5 percent raise. Mediation by the labor ministry also failed to narrow the difference between the two sides.

"This strike is not just about a difference of 2.3 percentage points," a union representative said, arguing the firm was not transparent or objective in its negotiations.

"We will not step back and our fight will only get tougher," he said.

The firm said it was willing to resume negotiations at any time, saying, "The dialogue channel is open."

Samsung head Lee vowed to scrap the family-owned conglomerate's "no unions" policy in May 2020 when he made a rare public apology for wrongdoings related to his inheriting the top job from his father Lee Kun-hee, who died in October 2020.