Centre asks Tamil Nadu CM Stalin to intervene in Samsung workers' strike

CPI(M)-backed CITU has claimed that around 90% of the 1,723 workers are on strike. It said workers were subjected to “long working hours, torturous intensity of work pressure to finish products

New Delhi: Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday asked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to intervene in the workers’ strike at the Sriperumbudur plant of Samsung Electronics for an “early and amicable resolution for maintaining a positive manufacturing sector ecosystem”.

Sources said Mandaviya wrote to Stalin urging his intervention for a swift resolution to the strike that started on September 9 at the plant located in Tamil Nadu, where a section of workers are demanding higher wages, recognition for their union and better amenities among others.

Mandaviya urged the Tamil Nadu government to intervene for an “early and amicable resolution for maintaining a positive manufacturing sector ecosystem” while assuring full support from the Ministry to help the state in resolving the matter efficiently, sources said.

CPI(M)-backed CITU has claimed that around 90% of the 1,723 workers are on strike. It said workers were subjected to “long working hours, torturous intensity of work pressure to finish each product like refrigerator, washing machine or TV within 10-15 seconds, non-stop work for 4-5 hours at stretch and unsafe working conditions”. 

In contrast to the Samsung workers in Seoul who receive Rs 4.5-6 lakh on average as wages and salaries, their Indian counterparts are working in a meager Rs 20,000-25,000 per month. Samsung Global has gained a year-on-year net profit of 9.84 trillion KRW (South Korean Won) in the second quarter of 2024 against 1.72 trillion KRW in the last year, the CITU said in a statement last week.  

The Sriperumbudur plant contributes roughly a third of Samsung's annual revenue in India of $12 billion.

On Tuesday, Samsung said in a statement, “the average monthly salary of our full-time manufacturing workers at the Chennai plant is 1.8 times the average salary of similar workers employed at other companies in the region.”

“Our workers are also eligible for overtime pay and other allowances and we provide a workplace environment that assures the highest standards of health, safety and welfare,” it said.

Samsung also said it was ready to engage with workers to address their grievances so they can return to work as soon as possible.