Samsung injunction partially blocks looming worker strike. But it’s not over.

Samsung has obtained an injunction partially blocking a planned strike by its South Korean workers later this week. However, this may not completely prevent industrial action, as up to 50,000 Samsung employees are set to walk off their jobs this Thursday. If it comes to fruition, it will be the largest strike in the tech company’s history.

The conflict which fuels the planned workers’ action concerns above all bonuses. As reported by Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, the union demanded that Samsung set aside 15% of its operating profits for performance-based bonuses, remove the cap on such payments and commit to a fixed formula for calculating them. Samsung reportedly proposed earmarking 10% of its operating profits for bonuses, as well as issuing one-time special compensation.

Employees of Samsung Electronics Co. outside the company’s semiconductor factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, April 23, 2026.
Credit: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Initial negotiations broke down last week after Samsung and the union failed to reach an agreement, according to Reuters. Last-minute negotiations resumed on Monday, facilitated by the South Korean government. Unless an agreement is reached, unionized Samsung workers are expected to begin an 18-day strike starting May 21.

However, a new injunction will restrict what workers can do as part of the strike. As Yonhap reports, the Suwon District Court on Monday ordered that unionized Samsung workers cannot take control of the company’s facilities or disrupt other workers. Normal staffing levels must also be maintained when safety and security issues are involved, the news agency reported, for example when maintenance work is needed to prevent damage to equipment.

It is not yet clear what impact this will have on Samsung employees’ strike plans. However, while the injunction may have tempered the threat of industrial action, it does not appear to have stopped it completely.

South Korean government works to prevent Samsung strike

A Samsung union rally in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 23, 2026.
Credit: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Samsung strike is of great concern to the South Korean government. Samsung accounted for more than 13% of South Korea’s GDP in 2024, according to the country’s media group Edaily, and is its largest employer with more than 125,000 employees. The planned industrial action is expected to affect more than a third of this massive workforce and could have a significant impact on the South Korean economy.

“A single day of suspension at Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor factory is expected to result in direct losses of up to 1 trillion won. [approximately $US667 million]”Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said on Sunday, as reported by the South China Morning Post. “What is more worrying is that a temporary pause in semiconductor manufacturing lines results in months of inactivity.”

Kim further said that if Samsung and the union fail to reach an agreement, the government would consider issuing an emergency arbitration order under South Korean law. By Korea timethis allows the Ministry of Labor to suspend any strike action for up to 30 days if it “is deemed likely to seriously harm the national economy or disrupt the daily lives of citizens.”

A Samsung union rally at the Samsung Electronics campus in Pyeongtaek on April 23, 2026.
Credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung also addressed the issue on social media on Monday.

“Workers should be able to receive fair compensation for their work in exchange for providing their services, and shareholders who bear risks and losses through their investments should share in the company’s profits,” Lee wrote on X, translated by the platform. He then added: “Under the current Constitution, the fundamental rights of all citizens are guaranteed, but they may be restricted within limits that do not detract from their essential content, for the good of the public and for other reasons.”

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Samsung recently announced that its operating profit for the first quarter of this year was 57.2 trillion yen (about $38.1 billion), a “record high” driven by booming demand for AI chips. This is a significant increase from the same quarter last year, when Samsung reported an operating profit of 6.7 trillion yen (about $4.4 billion).