The strike of Samsung India workers at the company Electronics Plants in Tamil Nadu entered its 19th day today with the company ensuring them that it would consider their demands, including revision of wages, if they end the protest and return to work. However, with the workers rallying around Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the company has made it clear that it will not recognise workers’ union.
About 1,000 of the total 1,750 employee are on strike in Kancheepuram district pressing for various demands including better pay packages and working conditions.
“In Tamil Nadu, no law mandates recognition of the Union. It is the company’s discretion. The Union is not registered, so the question doesn’t arise,” Anand Gopalan, the company’s legal counsel told NDTV.
As far the revision of wages are considered, Samsung claims that it already pays its workers well- above the minimum wages- prescribed by the state government. i.e. 1.8 times the salary of workers with other companies in the neighbourhood.
“Let them end the strike and come. We are willing to consider the pay revision demand. They want revision of pay as a pre condition to end strike”, Mr Gopalan said.
He added “We are fully compliant. Not a single action has been taken against the company. We are non vindictive “.
“The management has already indicated that all the issues can be resolved by discussions and has made various harmonious attempts to resolve differences and for your report to duty,” Samsung has said in a statement.
Other Demands Of Workers
Other key demands of workers include no mandatory overtime work on a regular basis and a eight-hour shift ,besides equal pay for equal work. Denying the allegations of overtime, the electronics major says this can’t be the ground for a strike and there are mechanisms to address these issues.
The strike ahead of the festive season, sources say, had initially hit the production of Samsung appliances by 50 percent. But the company had quickly roped in staff from the logistics wing besides contractual workers which kept the impact minimal, sources said.
Last week, the company also issued a show cause notice to protesting workers. It asked its workers-those who were forced to participate in the strike and prevented from returning to work-to call on the helpline number- but that didn’t have a major impact.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has also intervened. On Thursday, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, urging swift resolution of the workers’ strike. The minister urged the state government to intervene for an early and amicable resolution for maintaining positive manufacturing sector ecosystem, reported news agency PTI.
“We are holding talks with the unions and the management. We are hopeful of resolving this soon,” Tamil Nadu Labour Minister C V Ganesan had told NDTV.
The strike has come as an embarrassment for the ruling DMK that is on an overdrive to draw investments to project Tamil Nadu as a manufacturing hub. Recently, M K Stalin returned from the US drawing investment commitments for Rs 7000 crore.
