With the labor strike at Samsung India’s Chennai plant entering the 16th day, some striking workers have started returning to work after the company issued show-cause notices to them.
The ongoing strike has hit the production of electronic devices. Therefore, Samsung has issued notices to the employees warning that their wages will be withheld unless they return to work.
All about the strike: What happened so far?
The workers strike started on September 9 when more than 1,000 workers disrupted operations and protested in a makeshift tent close to Samsung’s home appliances factory in the manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur in Chennai city.
One of the 20 demands of the workers is higher wages, others being union recognition at the plant and 8-hour work. The strike is backed by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
The ongoing strike has affected the company’s production of various consumer electronics products such as televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines.
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The official statement
Commenting on the demand for wage hikes by workers, Samsung’s official statement was: “The average monthly salary of our full-time manufacturing workers at the Chennai plant is 1.8 times the average salary of similar workers employed at other companies in the region.”
Incidentally, Samsung’s Chennai factory is next to units of global giants such as Foxconn and Dell.
An unnamed company official told the Hindustan Times: “The welfare of our workers is our top priority, and we will continue to engage with them to address any grievances they may have. At the same time, we have also ensured that there is no disruption to our consumers ahead of the festive season.”
Clarifications from CITU
According to CITU, Samsung workers earn an average of 25,000 rupees ($300) per month and are demanding a further 36,000 rupees ($430) per month over three years.
Warning from company, Minister intervenes
However, according to a report by Reuters, the tech giant warned last week that its striking workers would not receive wages if they continued protesting. The company issued warnings to invoke their 'no work, no pay' policy and threatened potential layoffs to striking workers if the strike continues. After receiving the notice some workers have started returning to work.
On Tuesday, Veera Raghava Rao, Tamil Nadu’s labor secretary stated that efforts were continuing to resolve the dispute.
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