By Praveen Paramasivam
CHENNAI (Reuters) – About 500 workers at Samsung’s plant in south India are holding a sit-in to protest against the suspension of three employees, and the company has deployed contract workers to fill the gap, two sources said.
It was the second significant labour dispute in less than six months at the plant in Sriperumbudur near Chennai, which makes refrigerators, televisions and washing machines and accounted for a fifth of Samsung’s $12 billion India sales in 2022-23. The factory employs around 1,800 workers.
In a statement, Samsung said that “most of our workers remain dedicated in ensuring that normal business operations continue”.
The two sources, who had direct knowledge, said there was no production impact for now as Samsung had brought in contract workers to manage the situation, while the workers boycotting work were sitting inside the facility and refusing to budge.
The union disputed that account, saying there was some disruption, notably in the refrigerator-making unit.
Last year, hundreds went on a five-week strike at the plant, seeking higher wages and union recognition. The strike ended in October after Samsung agreed to address workers’ demands.
A. Soundararajan, a leader of the Samsung India Workers’ Union, said the protest would continue as the workers had been suspended without being heard, for making demands by standing outside the company administration’s office.
“Discussions with the government are already under way,” he said. The Tamil Nadu state government did not respond to a request for comment.
Samsung said the workers “will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action following a formal enquiry and have been suspended to protect the work environment and other workers”. It did not specify what had led to the suspension.
“We continue to make efforts towards a collective agreement with our workers to resolve the issues and for this we remain open to a dialogue facilitated by the government,” Samsung’s statement said.
(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Kevin Liffey)
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