Organization One of Samsung’s two plants in India, located in Chennai City, employs close to 2,000 people and generates over one-third of the company’s $12 billion (£9 billion) in revenue from sales of home appliances annually.
Every day, the striking workers congregate at a plot of land close to the 17-year-old facility, asking that Samsung recognize the Samsung India Labour Welfare organization (SILWU), their recently established labor organization. They claim that the only thing that can assist them in negotiating with management for higher pay and hours worked is a union.
The demonstration, one of the biggest Samsung has witnessed in recent memory, coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to attract foreign investment by presenting India as a competitive manufacturing hub in lieu of China.
In a statement, Samsung India stated that its employees’ well-being was its main focus. It stated, “We have started talks with our employees at the Chennai plant to resolve all issues as soon as possible.”
Only a few hours before, the police had arrested about 104 workers for taking part in an unauthorized protest march. The demonstrators were set free in the late afternoon.
“The labor force has chosen to go on strike for an indefinite period of time until their demands are fulfilled,” stated A Soundararajan, a member of the Communist Party-backed Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu).
