AsianFin--Samsung Electronics Co.’s labor union, representing over 28,000 workers, has declared an indefinite strike, posing a significant threat to production at the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer.

This call for a general strike marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing dispute with South Korea’s largest company.

Thousands of workers began their protest on Monday, rallying outside Samsung’s chipmaking complexes south of Seoul. Initially planned as a three-day walkout to demand better pay, the action has now become the largest organized labor strike in the half-century history of the South Korean conglomerate.