Around 100 Samsung Electronics employees were detained by police on Monday as they attempted to march to the district collector's office in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, during the company's continuing strike at its Sunguvarchatram facility. The workers, who have been on strike for a week, are demanding union recognition, higher wages and better working conditions.
The walkout at Samsung's Sunguvarchatram facility, which manufactures washing machines, air conditioners and other consumer electronics, involved roughly 1800 workers. The CITU-affiliated Samsung India Workers Union, which is not officially recognised by the corporation, has been pressing for negotiations to address salary adjustments and other worker requests.
The planned march to the collector's office was stopped when police detained the employees for not having the necessary licenses. Despite this, several workers continued to demonstrate outside the plant. Previous meetings between the union and Samsung, including those mediated by Tamil Nadu's labour minister CV Ganeshan, failed to resolve the issues.
Samsung's operations at the Sunguvarchatram facility have been severely interrupted, with the corporation fighting to maintain production levels with temporary and previous staff. This disruption occurs at a critical juncture, with increased demand anticipated throughout the festival season.
Samsung India has claimed that the wellbeing of its employees is its top focus. We regularly communicate with our employees to address any issues they may have while adhering to all rules and regulations. We will also make certain that there is no inconvenience to our customers.
The Sunguvarchatram factory is critical to Samsung's operations in India, accounting for around 30 per cent of the company's USD 12 billion yearly revenue in the nation. The protracted labour dispute highlights the rising tensions between management and employees over working conditions and pay.
