The labour strike at Samsung’s Sriperumbudur plant in Chennai is set to escalate further, spreading to nearby industrial hubs as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) announces fresh protests on February 20 and 21.
The Samsung India Workers’ Union (SIWU), backed by CITU, will hold another round of talks with Samsung management in the presence of Tamil Nadu labour department officials on Wednesday. “If there is no resolution, we will further intensify our protests,” said E Muthukumar, CITU Kancheepuram secretary and SIWU president.
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CITU has planned a lock-down protest outside the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) office in Sriperumbudur on February 20. The trade union has also called for demonstrations across four State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) locations and Oragadam on February 21. These industrial clusters house major automobile and electronics manufacturers, including Foxconn, Hyundai Motor, Renault Nissan Automotive, and Yamaha India.
Since February 5, over 500 Samsung workers have been staging a sit-in protest against the suspension of three SIWU office bearers. Several rounds of talks mediated by Tamil Nadu labour officials have failed to resolve the deadlock. On Monday, a section of striking workers and their family members staged a hunger strike in Sunguvarchatram, Sriperumbudur, demanding the reinstatement of the suspended workers.
Samsung management, however, maintains that the ongoing strike by a section of workers inside the factory premises is “illegal.”.
With no breakthrough in sight, the strike has now entered its second week, affecting productivity. The plant, which manufactures refrigerators, televisions, and washing machines, contributed to a fifth of Samsung’s $12 billion India sales in 2022-23.
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However, a Samsung India spokesperson stated that most workers continue to ensure uninterrupted production. “We have filed official complaints with the relevant authorities against certain employees violating company policy,” a Samsung India spokesperson said.
The current standoff follows a month-long strike in September 2024, when over 1,000 workers at the Chennai plant walked off the job, demanding higher wages, better working conditions, and recognition of the then-unregistered SIWU. That strike ended on October 16 after multiple rounds of negotiations involving Tamil Nadu government officials and ministers,
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