TN Ministers hold discussions with striking Samsung workers in Chennai

Chennai: As the agitation of Samsung employees enters the fourth week for pay hike and better facilities, the unyielding striking employees met Ministers of Tamil Nadu to discuss matters.

Ministers T. R. B. Rajaa, T. M. Anbarasan and C. V. Ganeshan met the striking workers of the Samsung plant and discussed with them the possibilities of ending the strike. The Tamil Nadu Labour Department has held five rounds of negotiations with them but to no avail.

The workers are striking for an increase in their wages and a reduction in work hours, also recognising the CPI-M-backed trade union CITU in the Samsung plant.

It may be noted that the Samsung plant in Kancheepuram, where the workers are striking for the fourth continuous week accounts for nearly a third of the company’s revenue from India.

900 employees of the Samsung unit in Kancheepuram were arrested on Tuesday for creating a road blockade. The employees of Samsung Electronics have been agitating since September 9 and have demanded that the company recognise Samsung India Workers Union affiliated with CITU.

A senior official of the Tamil Nadu government told IANS that the meeting between the agitating employees of Samsung and the Tamil Nadu ministers is going on to put an end to the agitation.

Tamil Nadu government has been on a spree attracting investments and many top companies have assured that they will be investing in the state. However, agitation at the Samsung plant can make global majors rethink their investment strategy in Tamil Nadu.

CITU Tamil Nadu state president A. Soundararajan, who is spearheading the agitation, told media persons that the workers are strong-willed to continue with the agitation, and added that the workers cannot go back to the factory without winning.

Advocate Anand Gopalan, representing Samsung India, told the media that the company complied with all laws and regulations of India. He also said that workers in the Samsung factory in Tamil Nadu get all the benefits and that their wages were higher than what was prescribed by the government.

It may be recalled that in the financial year 2023, Samsung’s revenue from the sale of home appliances and the sale of televisions was around Rs 19,000 crore.