Foxconn employees to go on hunger-strike on Jan 23

Six round of tripartite talks have been so far been held, but there has been no breakthrough as employees have been insisting that the plant be reopened.

Stepping up their stir against suspension of production at Foxconn India's facility near Chennai, the employees have decided to go on a day-long hunger strike on January 23 as part of seeking the state government's attention, Union sources said on Tuesday.

Trouble began at the manufacturing facilities of Foxconn situated at Sriperumbudur near Chennai after it decided to suspend production from December 22, 2014. Fearing job losses the employees have been resorting to agitations since then.

Six round of tripartite talks have been so far been held, but there has been no breakthrough as employees have been insisting that the plant be reopened.

On Monday, the Foxconn India Employees Union, backed by CITU, took out a procession towards the District Collector's office, Sriperumbudur, as part of seeking his intervention to prevail on the government to take action on the matter.

"We have informed the Collector of our apprehensions. Seeking state government's intervention we will go on a hunger strike on January 23," Foxconn India Employees Union President E Muthu Kumar told PTI.

"Our next course of action is to go on a hunger strike.

On January 27, we will meet senior Labour Department officials, voicing our protest," he said.

In a notice to employees, Foxconn had offered Voluntary Retirement Scheme or severance package as part of suspending production. The company was supplying more than 70 per cent of parts to telecom major Nokia, which had suspended production from November 1, 2014.

Following Nokia's exit from Sriperumbudur, production dwindled at Foxconn's manufacturing facilities, which led to suspension of production at its unit.

Image: Foxconn employees. Photograph: Reuters