Samsung Employees Protest for Better Wages in Chennai
Protest Enters Ninth Day
Samsung employees in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, have been protesting for nine days at Sungavachatiram near Sriperambathur. Led by union head E. Muthukumar, the workers are demanding better wages and improved working conditions.
Failed Talks and Detentions
The first and second rounds of talks with the state labor department and labor minister failed last week. On Monday, over 100 employees were detained when they entered Kanchipuram but were released later in the evening. A case was filed against more than 100 employees.
Union Demands
CITU Tamil Nadu State Secretary Muthukumar stated, “Our demands were not met, and the management has urged us to disband the union. They are hindering the recognition of the union by raising complaints.” He added that the management forced employees to work overtime for up to 11 hours.
Call for Government Intervention
Muthukumar emphasized the need for government intervention to find a permanent solution. CITU Tamil Nadu Deputy General Secretary Kannan reported that 104 employees were arrested when they tried to meet the collector. He demanded the withdrawal of the cases and announced a joint protest in Chennai at Valluvarkootam.
Doubts Revealed
Samsung -: Samsung is a big company from South Korea that makes things like phones, TVs, and other electronics.
Protest -: A protest is when people gather to show they are unhappy about something and want it to change.
Wages -: Wages are the money people get paid for the work they do.
Chennai -: Chennai is a big city in the southern part of India.
Union -: A union is a group of workers who come together to make sure they are treated fairly at work.
E. Muthukumar -: E. Muthukumar is the leader of the workers’ union in this protest.
State labor department -: The state labor department is a part of the government that helps make sure workers are treated fairly.
Detained -: Detained means being held by the police for a short time.
Management -: Management refers to the people in charge of running a company.
CITU -: CITU stands for Centre of Indian Trade Unions, which is a big group that helps workers in India.
Government intervention -: Government intervention means the government steps in to help solve a problem.
