A powerful alliance of unions of 13 affiliates of the Samsung Group on Tuesday took out a rally outside the headquarters of Samsung Electronics and demanded extensive reforms in the group’s opaque performance-based bonus system. The coalition, representing more than 3,00,000 employees, appreciated the recent profit-sharing reforms of rival SK Hinics as a blueprint of transparency and equality, which is likely to receive the employees paying billions of dollars.

This protest organized by the Samsung Group Union alliance highlighted Samsung’s long -standing economic value -addicted (EVA) structure – which was criticized as a “black box” for cutting taxes, investments and other costs before the bonus. Even in high -income years, this method limits the payment, making Samsung’s operating benefits of the second quarter of 2025 to 10.4 trillion vons ($ 7.6 billion) disappointment among employees, which is inspired by the demand for AI chip. According to the Yonhap news agency, coalition spokesperson Kim Ji-Hune announced at the press conference, “We urge Chairman Lee J-Yong to abolish the EVA and adopt the model of SK Hinics for a labor-management partnership promoting fairness.”

Earlier this year, Samsung’s staunch rival SK Hinics signed a historic agreement with its union in the field of memory chips, with the bonus limit (1,000% of the first basic salary) and promised to give 10% of the annual operating profit for employee incentive. Following the tense dialogue in July, this change, analysts estimate that the average payment of 30,000 employees of SK Hinics may increase by 20–30%, while the company’s profit of the company’s first half of the 2025 is growing 40% from the sale of HBM chips for NVDia GPU. Samsung Unions, including the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), sent a formal letter to Li last week, repeating these demands and warned of strict action on ignoring.

Time is very important: With the hovering of pay talks in the beginning of 2026, unions have the Samsung market dominance – 45% of the global drama share – taking advantage of the 45% global drama share – while SK Hinix has 35%. Korea University Labor Specialist Prof. Lee Suu-Jin said, “Transparency creates confidence; ambiguity causes dissatisfaction.” He also mentioned similar demands on Hyundai and LG. Samsung, which has not yet reacted, is facing an important workforce for its $ 300 billion empire.

As the Chaibols of South Korea are moving on the path of AI-operated development, the conflict underlines a comprehensive labor renaissance: a record corporate income, workers want their share. Will you be bent, or will the strike wave rage? For Samsung’s army with 3,00,000 employees, the battle of bonus has just begun.