TN govt announces that Samsung India factory strike has been withdrawn

The Tamil Nadu labour department on Tuesday, October 15 announced that the strike by workers of Samsung India’s Sriperumbudur plant has been called off. The workers under the banner of Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU), have been protesting for more than a month demanding better working conditions, revised wages and recognition of their union.

In a press release, the labour department said that workers have agreed to call off the strike and return to work. “On returning to work, the management should not victimise the workers for participating in the strike. After returning to work, the workers will cooperate with the management fully and not do any such acts prejudicial to the interest of the Management. The Management will file a written reply to the charter of demands filed by the workers before the conciliation officer.”

“The talks went well and we have come to favourable agreements. Tomorrow, we have a council meeting [with the employees] after which a good decision will be taken. Four ministers were present at the meeting. The PWD minister EV Velu, Labour Welfare and Skill Development minister CV Ganesan, Industries minister TRB Rajaa and MSME minister TM Anbarasan,” said CITU president A Soundararajan.

Regarding the striking workers returning to work, Soundarajan said that if a conclusion was reached at the October 16 meeting, the workers would return to work the following day. “It is a significant development that the same company [Samsung] that refused to even speak to us has today, thanks to the efforts of the ministers and state government, held talks regarding our demands,” he further said.

The main demand raised by the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU), who struck work since September 9, was for its registration of the union by the state labour department. The union, backed by the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), moved the Madras High Court since the labour department did not register it even after 45 days, which is required as per law. According to sources in the government, the registration of the union will happen soon.

In July this year, as many as 1,500 employees out of around 1,700 who work at the plant signed up to become members of the Samsung India Thozhilalar Sangam, also known as the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU), affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). They submitted the paperwork online with the state labour department on July 25.

A month after the protest, Samsung had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a few employees, which was rejected by CITU. “Around 200 of the 1,800 workers at the facility who did not attend the strike were selected and taken to the secretariat and asked to sit in front of three ministers. The management dictated the terms and they are calling this the MoU. The MoU has nothing to do with the striking workers. The strike will continue,” he had told TNM.

Following this development, the employees intensified their protest, which led to the large deployment of police at the protest site. Several union leaders were detained during midnight hours and the pandal at the protest site was removed. A day after the Madras HC’s order stating that the workers had the right for a peaceful protest, police personnel continued to detain them.