Samsung workers in South Korea voted to go on strike over disagreements about bonuses. The union said 93% of the 66,019 workers who voted supported the strike to show strong frustration among employees.

The strike is planned for 18 days starting May 21 if the company and the union cannot reach an agreement. Before that, the union will hold a rally on April 23.

The union represents around 90,000 workers, which is more than 70% of Samsung’s workforce in South Korea. Leaders said the vote sends a clear message that management needs to address workers’ concerns.

The main issue is Samsung’s bonus system. The union wants the company to remove the bonus cap and tie bonuses to company profits, similar to what rival SK Hynix did last year.

Samsung says removing the cap could make it harder to invest in the business and give returns to shareholders. Currently, bonuses are limited to 50% of a worker’s annual salary.

Reports suggest that the strike could affect the global supply of computer chips. Samsung produces all of its DRAM chips and two-thirds of its NAND chips in South Korea. Any disruption could impact cars, computers, and smartphones. Rising demand for artificial intelligence data centers makes the situation more serious.

Workers are also upset about pay differences compared to other companies, which has led to more people joining the union in recent months. Samsung said it will try to finish the 2026 wage talks peacefully, but reaching an agreement may be difficult.

The strike vote shows growing tension between workers and management. If it happens, it could have a major effect on Samsung and the global chip supply.

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