TN: Samsung Strike Ends After 37 Days, Workers Claim Victory

The 37 day strike of the workers of the Samsung India’s Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu was called off on Wednesday, October 16 after an agreement was reached with the management.

Striking workers, under the leadership of Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) held a general body meeting on Wednesday, a day after the talks with the management and announced their decision to join work starting Thursday.

Centre for Indian Trade Union (CITU) with which SIWU is affiliated congratulated the workers for their long and brave fight against the Samsung management and called their struggle a “victory.”

“Given the barbaric situation of hegemony of monopoly capitalism where all from every organs of sovereign state to every sundry under the sun meekly kneeling down before the might of capital,” the workers of Samsung India at Sriperumbudur plant “challenged the inhuman exploitative rules of capital heroically-that is the victory,” CITU said in a statement.

Several other unions and left parties across the country congratulated the workers for their “historic victory.”

KITU salutes the Samsung India Workers Union (CITU) for their inspiring and courageous strike action which led to a historic victory pic.twitter.com/yAt6FNoQsu

— Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (@kitu_hq) October 16, 2024

On Tuesday, the Samsung management which had been refusing to dialogue with SIWU, sat for a conciliation talk with its representatives under the mediation of the Tamil Nadu government in which they agreed on points of conciliation.

According to a statement issued by Tamil Nadu government’s labor department after the talk, the parties agreed that: all striking workers will call off their strike and go back to work, the management must not victimize the workers returning to work for their participation in the strike and not cut their wages for the strike period, the workers must cooperate with the management, and the management will file a written response to all the demands of the workers in front of the conciliation officer before the next round of meeting on November 7, the Hindu reported.

Throughout the strike, CITU leadership had been critical to the state government’s stance of not recognizing the SIWU, which was one of the workers’ demands. However, on Wednesday it claimed that the state government had given positive assurances on the issue and is waiting for the court’s decision on the matter to finalize it.

CITU Tamil Nadu state president, A Soundararajan told Frontline that, “around 85% of workers [at Samsung Chennai plant] have accepted this [SIWU] as their union and us their leaders. That recognition is our foundation.”

Samsung workers’ long battle

Samsung has been operating in India since 2007. It has two plants in the country, one in Noida in north India which mainly produces mobile phones and the other at Chennai which produces home appliances such as TV and refrigerators. It has operated in the country so far without any union at either of its plants.

In 2023, with the support of CITU, workers at Samsung filed papers with the Tamil Nadu government to register SIWU. However, this process was stalled when Samsung management filed a case in the court claiming the union’s name violates trade practices after the formation of the SIWU was announced last year. The matter is still pending in the courts.

According to the statements by the SIWU leadership, out of a total around 1,800 workers at the Samsung’s Sriperumbudur Plant more than 1,300 had participated in the strike which began on September 9. The striking workers had three major demands, better working conditions, better wages, and the recognition of SIWU.

சாம்சங் தொழிலாளர் போராட்டம் தடைகளை உடைத்து 36வது நாள்… #SamsungWorkers #WorkersStrike #FightForRights #WorkersRights pic.twitter.com/sTYfDISWvV

— CPIM Tamilnadu (@tncpim) October 14, 2024

Despite interventions from the state government, the Samsung management continuously refused to directly talk to the SIWU calling the strike “illegal.” It instead erected a “workers committee” and announced unilateral measures trying to lure and divide the striking workers.

The striking workers were subjected to threats of termination by the management which had termed the strike illegal. The workers also faced repeated attacks by the state police which even destroyed the temporary venue erected to host them near the factory and arrested several of their leaders last week.

On October 8, the Tamil Nadu state government announced the Samsung management had agreed to wage revision and better working conditions with the so-called “workers committee.” The SIWU had rejected the agreement and had decided to continue the strike underlining that their central demand was the recognition of the union.

Speaking during the workers’ general body meeting on Wednesday, Soundararajan warned the state government and the management to not renege their promises as it would invite fresh rounds of struggle.