Samsung employees approve individual bonus of R$1.7 million with AI profits

More than 45,000 Samsung workers could join the planned strike
REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
Unionized workers at South Korean giant Samsung Electronics approved an agreement that provides for large annual bonuses linked to profits generated by artificial intelligence (AI), according to the results of an electronic vote concluded this Wednesday (27).
Samsung and the union reached this agreement last week to avoid a general strike, with a commitment that provides for individual bonuses of up to 338 thousand dollars (R$ 1.7 million) this year for 78 thousand employees in the chip division, out of a total of 125 thousand in South Korea.
Of the approximately 62,600 votes registered, more than 73% supported the pact, the union said in a statement. Voting began on Friday and lasted until 10am local time this Wednesday (10pm on Tuesday Brasília time).
The last-minute deal reached last week came amid a global boom in AI that boosted Samsung's high-bandwidth memory chip business, crucial for the technology's data centers.
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Under the 10-year agreement, tied to ambitious performance targets, the annual bonuses will correspond to 10.5% of the chip division's operating profit and will be paid in shares, along with an additional 1.5% in cash.
Samsung reported an approximately 750% increase in its first quarter operating profit compared to the previous year, while its market value surpassed 1 trillion dollars (R$5 trillion) in early May.
The possibility of a strike had aroused great concern in South Korea, where Samsung alone accounts for around 12.5% of GDP and memory chips represent approximately 35% of exports.
This labor conflict has also reignited the debate over how the gains from AI should be distributed.
A senior presidential official even suggested the idea of a "national dividend", arguing that surplus tax revenues related to AI could be used to finance social welfare programs.
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Source: G1