TN: Samsung Strike Completes One Month Amid Rising State Repression

Hundreds of striking workers of the Samsung India’s Chennai plant, including their leaders were arrested, and the venue of strike dismantled by the Tamil Nadu state police on Wednesday, October 9. 

The arrested leaders include A Soundararajan, president of the Tamil Nadu state Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and E Muthu Kumar, president of Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU). The worker leaders were released on bail after a few hours of detention, as the government termed the strike illegal.

Over 1,300 Samsung workers at its Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai have been on strike since September 9, demanding recognition of SIWU, better wages, and working conditions. The strike completed a month on Tuesday without any progress on the workers’ demands as the management has refused to speak to them directly.

The striking workers claim the strike is legal as a proper notice was served to the management more than 14 days prior to the commencement of the strike as required by law.

On Monday, three ministers of the Tamil Nadu government, including the Minister for Industries, Investment Promotions and Commerce T.R.B. Rajaa, announced that the Samsung management and workers have reached a resolution. According to Reuters, the company offered to increase wages by USD 60 per month and to provide better working conditions. 

Workers at Samsung Chennai plant currently receive a monthly wage of around USD 359, not enough to cover basic economic needs. 

The striking workers rejected the so-called agreement, claiming it was an attempt to divide workers. They alleged that the management had placed some of the workers in a so-called “workers committee” and pretended to sign an agreement with them, completely bypassing striking workers.

Speaking to Frontline, Soundararajan claimed that “our main demand is union recognition. If granted, we’ll immediately end the strike. Other issues can be discussed later.”

State is acting as spokesperson of the Samsung management

Claiming that the Samsung Chennai strike is not only about wages but “about workers’ constitutional right to form associations under article 19(1) [of Indian constitution]” and their “collective bargaining rights,” Soundararajan criticized the role of the state government, claiming that it is “blatantly supporting the company.” 

Soundararajan alleged that during Monday’s announcement of an agreement between the management and the workers, the “three ministers behaved like Samsung spokesmen.” 

Samsung has two plants in India: one in Chennai and another in the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) near Delhi. There are around 1,700 workers at its Chennai plant, which mostly produces TVs and other home appliances. The plant at NOIDA largely produces mobile phones. Out of these, nearly 1,300 workers are on strike with SIWU claiming its total membership at around 1,550.

The SIWU is affiliated to the CITU, one of India’s largest trade union federations affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The day the strike completed a month, CPI (M) polit bureau member G Ramakrishnan visited the protest site to extend solidarity to the striking workers. 

The left had joined the protest calls given by the CITU against the state government. Thousands participated in joint state wide protests organized by the CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML) jointly on Saturday, October 5, in support of striking workers and against the state’s failure to recognize the union.

The state government has tried to mediate between workers and management, but failed to recognize the union. It has claimed that it has no problem recognizing the union but has to wait till the court decides on Samsung’s complaint. The Samsung management has filed a complaint regarding the alleged misuse of the company’s name in the name of the union. 

Soundararajan told Frontline that Samsung has a record of infringing on the workers’ rights to form a union. He claimed the company’s complaint about trade mark infringement was just a delaying tactic, as using the name of the company in the name of the union is quite common in India. However, striking workers do not mind changing the name of the union if that is a major issue, he underlined.

Samsung has been operating in India since 2007 without any union in either of its plants.