Samsung India factory strike: 600 workers detained amid wage dispute
What's the story
About 600 employees and union members from Samsung Electronics have been detained by the Indian police. The arrests happened during a protest for better wages and union recognition at the company's Tamil Nadu facility. This ongoing strike, which kicked off on September 9, has seen over 1,000 workers involved and is currently causing disruptions at the plant.
Prolonged disruption
This is one of the biggest strikes in recent years
The strike at Samsung's home appliances plant in Tamil Nadu has now entered its fourth week. This plant is responsible for about one-third of Samsung's annual revenue in India, which stands at $12 billion. This is one of the biggest strikes of its kind in recent years. Samsung has even warned that the workers on strike could lose their jobs because of their involvement in the protest.
Reason explained
Detention due to public inconvenience, says police official
According to Charles Sam Rajadurai, a senior state police official, the protesting Samsung employees and workers linked to the labor group CITU were detained because their protest march near Chennai was causing inconvenience to the public. "They are being detained in four wedding halls," he said. This comes after an earlier incident on September 16 when police detained 104 striking Samsung workers for nearly a day.
Company stance
Samsung's response to wage demands
Samsung hasn't replied to media requests for a comment on the ongoing strike yet. But previously, the company claimed that the average monthly salary of full-time manufacturing workers at its Tamil Nadu plant is nearly double that of similar workers in the region. The company also said that it is open to discussions with workers to resolve the matter.