Centre Wants Stalin To End Samsung Strike

Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urges state government 'to intervene for an early and amicable resolution for maintaining a positive manufacturing sector ecosystem'.

Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has written to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday and urged swift resolution of the ongoing workers' strike at Samsung Electronics' Sriperumbudur plant, sources said.

In the letter, Mandaviya has urged the state government 'to intervene for an early and amicable resolution for maintaining a positive manufacturing sector ecosystem', while assuring full support from the Centre in resolving the matter efficiently.

Nearly 1,500 workers went on a strike at the South Korean group's plant on the outskirts of Chennai on September 9, demanding higher wages, recognition for their union and better amenities, among other demands.

On the 17th day of the strike, Samsung urged its workers to return to work, expressing its willingness to talk with the employees and not to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the union leading the protests.

According to sources, one of the major bottlenecks is the fact that Samsung India Workers' Union (SIWU) president E Muthukumar is a veteran CITU leader and not an employee of the company.

'We are committed to resolving all issues, including wages, benefits and working conditions by negotiating with our workers directly, and urge them to return back to work at the earliest,' a company statement said.

'At Samsung India, the welfare of our employees is our top priority. 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,' Samsung stated.

'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, including free shuttle bus and meals,' it added.

In addition, it added that the majority of workers in its Chennai unit are full-time employees, which is probably the highest level compared with other manufacturers in the region.

'Moreover, the average tenure of our manufacturing workforce is more than 10 years, which underscores the satisfaction our workers have in working for the company,' Samsung added.

Meanwhile, CITU said that workers faced long working hours, torturous intensity of work pressure to finish each product like refrigerator, washing machine or TV within 10 to 15 seconds, non-stop work for 4 to 5 hours at stretch and unsafe working conditions.

Delhi-based think-tank Global Trade Research Initiative on Monday said: "India risks losing significant ground in its quest to become a global manufacturing powerhouse if the labour strike at the Sriperumbudur plant is not resolved soon."

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com