Samsung India workers' protest enters 9th day; pay hike, less work hours among demands

Srinagar, Sep 17: Hundreds of workers of Samsung India continued their protests for ninth consecutive day demanding pay hikes, less working hours, and other benefits in the outskirts of the southern Indian city of Chennai.

These workers are responsible for the assembly of home appliances like Televisions, Refrigerators, Washing Machines, and Air Conditioners, and the management's recognition of their workers union, WION reported.

"Samsung India management has not accepted to talk this out and listen to our demands, so we will continue our protest," Muthukumar, Kanchipuram district secretary of the Left-affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) told WION. Muthukumar is not a Samsung employee, he represents the protesting workers, who do not wish to reveal their identities, fearing backlash from their employer.

The protests began on Monday (Sep 9) after the Samsung India management allegedly failed to recognise the Left-affiliated Samsung India Workers Union.

When requested, Samsung India did not issue any fresh clarification on the deadlock. In an earlier statement, a Samsung India spokesperson had said, "We actively engage with our workers to address any grievances they may have and comply with all laws and regulations. We will also ensure that there is no disruption to our consumers."

In recent months, in Samsung's home country, some 36,500 members of Samsung Electronics' biggest workers union have protested. Their demands were for higher wages and benefits.

The absence of hundreds of workers has affected the rollout of thousands of units of varied home appliances Samsung's facility.

The final four months of the calendar year are crucial for the Indian consumer market, as the festive season sees a sharp spike in sales of consumer electronics and other goods.

The protests at the leading consumer electronics assembly facility occurred at a time when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his industries team were in the US to attract investments to the state.

Over the last ten days, the CM has been announcing that MoUs worth millions of dollars have been signed with prospective investors from across sectors, including electronics and electronics component manufacturing.