Samsung India factory workers on strike seeking pay hike, better working conditions and days off
The electronics giant has threatened to cut wages and sack employees who have struck work at the factory in Sriperumbudur since September 9.
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Hundreds of workers at Samsung Electronics – the world’s top maker of smartphones, TVs and memory chips – have been striking in Tamil Nadu, demanding better working conditions, higher wages and that their labour union be recognised.
The majority of workers at Samsung’s home appliances factory in Sriperumbudur, a town near Chennai, have been protesting since September 9, making it one of the biggest strikes in India in recent years.
About 70% out of the 1,800 people employed by the factory have taken part, disrupting operations and setting up a makeshift tent near the factory.
Samsung Electronics has warned that workers who continue to strike will not be paid their wages and could face termination, saying its policy is based on “relevant laws and regulations”.
The plant in Sriperumbudur makes electronic products such as refrigerators, televisions and washing machines. It accounts for roughly a third of Samsung’s annual revenue in India of $12 billion.
The workers earn Rs 25,000 on average per month, according to the powerful labour group Centre of Indian Trade Unions that has helped mobilise the factory workers. They are demanding a raise of Rs 36,000 over three years.
Muthu, a 33-year-old worker who requested to use a pseudonym due to fears of reprisals, told Context that he and his colleagues were determined to fight until Samsung...
