By Ju-min Park

SEOUL, May 24 (Reuters) - Against a backdrop of K-pop

performances and dance music, more than 2,000 unionised workers

from Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) gathered in Seoul on

Friday, holding a rare rally to demand the South Korean

technology giant pay fair wages.

Over the last two years, the National Samsung Electronics

Union (NSEU) has seen its membership swell four-fold to about

28,000, or more than a fifth of the company's total workforce,

union officials said.

The rapid growth of the union's membership comes after the

country's most powerful conglomerate pledged in 2020 to put an

end to its practices of discouraging the growth of organised

labour.

Jay Y. Lee, chairman of Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ), had at the time

publicly apologised for scandals over union-busting tactics and

declared an end to a "no-union" philosophy.

Government data shows employee union membership levels have

not risen in South Korea for the past two decades and remain

relatively low compared to some other OECD countries. But more

young workers are becoming convinced about the benefits of

unionisation, union officials have said.

Chanting "respect labour", the unionised engineers and

office workers were also entertained by electronic dance music

played by a well-known comedian-turned-DJ, who dresses as a

Buddhist monk.

K-pop singers also performed, prompting unionised workers in

their 20s and 30s to clap and dance, with the rally near

Samsung's office in the glitzy Gangnam district of Seoul at

times resembling a street party.

"Our rallies are non-violent but we can still show our

strength," said Choi Young-wook, a 27-year-old Samsung chip

engineer, who wore a black cap with the union's logo.

LEAVES, BONUSES

The rally comes as Samsung's run of success appears to be

faltering in some areas, including cutting-edge semiconductor

chips.

Samsung this week replaced the head of its semiconductor

unit saying a new person at the top was needed to navigate what

it called a "crisis" affecting the chips industry.

The company has decided to increase wages this year by 5.1%

and while the union does not necessarily oppose such a hike it

wants one more day in annual leaves as well as transparent

performance-based bonuses, the union has said.

Negotiations between the company and the union resumed on

May 21, according to the union, though some officials questioned

the company's commitment to consulting with them.

In a statement to Reuters, Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) said that

working-level negotiations had resumed, and the main

negotiations were scheduled to take place on May 28.

"We will sincerely engage in discussions with the union,"

said the statement.

Union officials say that among younger employees there is a

growing perception that unions can help create a fairer

workplace, whereas the older generation in the company felt

unions could disrupt work productivity.

Overall, South Korea's union membership rate has hovered

around the 10% level since 2004, according to data from the

labour ministry.

"More and more people inside the company are realising why

they need unions, which is to have a voice, and we are getting

empowered by these people day by day," said Son Woo-mok,

president of NSEU, who began working at Samsung in 2005.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Ed Davies and Muralikumar

Anantharaman)