Workers at Samsung Electronics’ plant in southern India have caused two days of disruption with strike action as they demand higher wages and better hours.
The walkout took place at the smaller of Samsung’s two Indian factories. The impacted site is based in Sriperumbudur, near the city of Chennai.
According to a report from Reuters, posters with the words “Indefinite Strike” were seen outside of the factory, with workers having set up an encampment in order to stage their protest. It’s thought that approximately half of the factory’s 1,800 employees are taking part in the strike action.
In addition to demanding a wage increase and improved working hours, the employees are also demanding the company recognize the union.
Samsung has not commented on the latest strike, but on Monday a spokesperson said the company was working with the aggrieved employees to “address any grievances they may have and comply with all laws and regulations.”
The unrest in India follows strike action undertaken by workers at Samsung Electronics’ facilities in South Korea, where employees are also demanding a wage increase, in addition to improvements to the company’s performance-based bonus system, and reasonable financial compensation for all union members who participated in the strike.
An initial walkout was organized by the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) on June 7, although workers were asked to use paid annual leave to participate.
A second three-day walkout then took place on July 8-11, but after Samsung’s management reportedly failed to engage with the NSEU, the union announced the strike would be extended indefinitely.
After talks broke down in early August, the union asked members to return to work while it continued to try and negotiate with Samsung. However, negotiations once again broke down, and on August 14, the NSEU announced it was staging an additional four-day strike.
The NSEU has approximately 36,500 members in South Korea, approximately 30 percent of the company’s workforce in the country. It’s unclear how many members participated in the strike action.
