More than 1,200 employees likely to march towards Samsung plant near Chennai

CHENNAI: Members of the CITU-affiliated Samsung employees union will march towards the company plant on Friday morning as the talks facilitated by the state govt failed to resolve the issues. Around 1,250 employees are expected to march towards the facility at Sunguvarchatram, near Chennai, and the union has not sought police permission for the matter, according to its representatives.

Both the labour group and Samsung alleged the other side of making unreasonable demands. The union alleged that Samsung was not willing to revoke the suspension of 23 employees and imposed a ‘punitive’ apology letter for allowing them back to work.

“The company has been calling back workers since the protest began. We will gather on the plant premises demanding that the company take them back to work,” the union said.

On Feb 20, a section of employees entered the factory shop floor and stopped production before police detained them.

In a statement on Thursday, a Samsung India spokesperson said, “Despite our best efforts to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement through constructive dialogue, the union continues to make unreasonable demands and is changing its position constantly, leading to an impasse in the negotiations. We uphold a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal acts within the workplace and are committed to maintaining a safe and productive environment for all.”

The dispute began on Feb 5 when a section of employees started protests against the company allegedly for suspension of three union functionaries. Last year too the South Korean company faced labour protests impacting production.

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