Samsung India worker's union at Sriperumbudur plant issues strike notice
Chennai (The Uttam Hindu): The Samsung India Thozhilalar Sangam, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), has issued a 14-day strike notice to the management of the Samsung factory in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur.
This follows the withdrawal of a month-long protest by the union on March 7.
The Sangam is demanding the reinstatement of 23 suspended workers, recognition of their union, and a formal wage agreement.
They have also challenged the legitimacy of a newly-formed group - the Samsung India Welfare Federation - which, according to the Sangam, has signed a wage agreement with the company.
The strike notice, jointly signed by Sangam President E. Muthukumar and Secretary P. Ellan, urged the company to withdraw complaints against the suspended workers and reinstate them immediately. The notice also emphasised that the Sangam represents the majority of the workforce and should be formally recognised by Samsung.
The union further called for the immediate disbursement of ex-gratia payments and requested the company to conduct a secret ballot to determine which workers’ body - the Sangam or the Federation - has the majority backing among employees.
If these demands are not met, the Sangam warned that its members would launch an indefinite strike after the 14-day notice period ends.
The Samsung India Workers’ Union (SIWU), supported by the CITU, had previously staged a month-long protest that ended on March 7, 2025. The union claimed that the company had agreed to reinstate the suspended workers following appeals from government officials and company representatives.
Of the 1,800 employees at the Sriperumbudur plant, around 1,000 joined the strike, while the remaining 800 continued working.
During the earlier protest, Tamil Nadu Police arrested several CITU-affiliated union leaders from their homes and dismantled a protest tent outside the company premises. However, workers continued their demonstration at an alternative site nearby, with hundreds gathering in defiance of police warnings to disperse. Heated exchanges occurred between protesters and police personnel.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist, an ally of the DMK in the INDIA bloc, strongly condemned the police crackdown on striking workers and union leaders.
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa had urged the employees to return to work, promising that the state government and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin would support the union’s cause. He stated that the Sangam would be recognised once the court ruled on the matter. Minister Rajaa, son of senior DMK leader and former Union Minister T.R. Baalu, also mentioned that the company had agreed to improve facilities, including providing better food and installing air-conditioning and secure locks in the 108 buses used to transport workers.
Despite these assurances, the striking workers rejected a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by a workers’ committee, with the CITU leadership claiming that the MoA was biased in favour of the company.
