Samsung Electronics' labor union is expected to announce Wednesday whether chip workers voted to ratify a wage deal that would deliver massive AI-linked bonuses and helped avert a major strike.The tentative agreement between the South Korean memory chip giant and its largest union federation over a new bonus scheme for employees in the semiconductor division has fueled tensions among other workers as well as subsidiaries and shareholders.
An electronic vote among about 70,000 unionized employees began Friday and runs until 10:00 am (0100 GMT) on Wednesday, with results expected shortly afterwards.
Local media reported on Tuesday that around 90 percent of union members had already voted. The agreement will be "automatically ratified" if approved by a majority of voters, according to the union's lawyer.
The last-minute deal, reached last week to avert a planned 18-day strike, comes amid a global artificial intelligence boom that has turbocharged Samsung's high-bandwidth memory chip business, crucial for AI data centers.
Under the 10-year deal, which is tied to ambitious performance targets, annual bonuses would amount to 10.5 percent of the chip division's operating profit and be paid in shares, alongside an additional 1.5 percent in cash.
