Thousands of unionized workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea, who had declared an indefinite strike last month, had returned to work by Monday after failing to win concessions from the global tech giant.
It was the first unionized action in the decades-long history of Samsung, one of the world’s biggest makers of computer chips.
But the striking employees, numbering roughly 6,500 or so, accounted for only a fraction of union membership and a sliver of the company’s total work force.
Most of them were back at work by Monday, according to Lee Hyun Kuk, the vice president of the Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union.
But the financial burden of a prolonged, unpaid strike on employees forced union leaders to issue a back-to-work order last week.
Persons:
Lee Hyun Kuk
Organizations:
Samsung Electronics, Samsung, Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union
Locations:
South Korea