Labour union of Samsung holds rally ahead of talks

Seoul, July 22
The striking labour union of Samsung Electronics held a rally on Monday, a day before resuming talks with the company to resolve the industrial action over a wage hike, union officials said.

About 1,200 unionised workers of the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) joined the rally at a Samsung building in Yongin, south of Seoul.

Clad in black T-shirts and wearing headbands with "general strike" printed on them, the unionised workers pledged for a "victory" in their strike, reports Yonhap news agency.

Son Woo-mok, head of the NSEU, told the workers that the strike "will not change all at once, but let's change it one by one."

"Let's make our Samsung Electronics with a long breath," Son said.

The union and Samsung Electronics are set to hold talks on Tuesday, in what would be the first face-to-face meeting since the union declared a strike on July 8.

The NSEU's demands for the strike include a 5.6 percent basic pay raise for all members, a guaranteed day off on the union's founding day and compensation for economic losses due to the strike.

Samsung Electronics has said there has been minimal impact on production, despite the strike.