Samsung strike on hold - but the fight isn't over yet. Why?

Samsung strike on hold - but the fight isn't over yet. Why?6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSuranjana TewariAsia business correspondentBloomberg via Getty ImagesTens of thousands of Samsung Electronics workers rallied at a factory complex south of Seoul on 23 AprilThe largest union at Samsung Electronics has suspended a planned strike after reaching a last-minute tentative pay agreement with the South Korean technology giant.It has temporarily eased fears of disruption at the world's largest memory chipmaker during a boom in the building of artificial intelligence (AI) data centres.The union, which represents nearly 48,000 workers, said industrial action that was due to begin on Thursday would be suspended while members vote on the deal from 22-27 May.Here's why a strike could be so disruptive for the global technology industry.What is the dispute about?The dispute centres on how to distribute profits generated by soaring demand for AI memory chips.At issue is the distribution of bonuses between staff in memory chip divisions and those in other units.Samsung had planned to pay generous bonuses to 27,000 staff making memory chips – at least six times more than its workers making other chips, and electronics.The union said that 23,000 workers who were making less advanced chips for companies like Tesla and Nvidia should not be left behind.It raised concerns over potential disruption to chip production, with major implications for global supply chains and South Korea's export-driven economy. Samsung is the world's largest memory chipmaker by sales and a major supplier of chips used in AI data centres, smartphones and laptops.The broader Samsung Group accounts for roughly a fifth of South Korea's economic output.The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for the company as it faces intensifying competition from rivals SK Hynix and Micron amid surging AI-driven chip demand that has already strained global supply.What has Samsung...