Police Free Courageous Samsung Workers Arrested for Planning Powerful Protest March | Breaking Company News
Indian police released most of the 104 striking workers from a Samsung Electronics plant late Monday after detaining them for planning a protest march without permission. The week-long strike at the home appliance plant near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, disrupted production, affecting a facility that contributes a third of Samsung’s annual India revenue of $12 billion. Workers halted operations on September 9, demanding higher wages, union recognition, and better working hours.
The strike complicates Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategy to attract foreign investment through his "Make in India" initiative, aimed at tripling electronics production to $500 billion in six years. The protest highlights the challenges global companies face, even as they relocate production to India to diversify supply chains away from China.
Monday’s protest march was thwarted by police due to its planned route through areas with schools, colleges, and hospitals, per senior officer K. Shanmugam. By late Monday night, all but three detained workers were released, according to A. Soundararajan, state president of the supportive labor group, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
Samsung has shown reluctance to recognize a CITU-backed union, leading to stalled negotiations with workers and state officials. Despite the police action, 12 union groups, including one associated with Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, announced a protest in Chennai for Wednesday.
These disruptions come as Samsung plans significant job cuts in its overseas divisions, including India, amid scrutiny from the Indian antitrust body for alleged anti-competitive practices with e-commerce giants. Although Samsung did not comment, the company previously stated it was in discussions to resolve the issues.
The Chennai plant, employing around 1,800 workers (with over 1,000 on strike), manufactures appliances like refrigerators, TVs, and washing machines. Samsung’s smartphone plant in Uttar Pradesh remains unaffected.
Original Story https://www.business-standard.com/companies/news/police-release-striking-samsung-workers-detained-for-planning-protest-march-124091601287_1.html
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