Samsung Employees Protest in Tamil Nadu: Over 100 Detained by Police
In Chennai, Tamil Nadu, over 100 Samsung union employees were detained by police while planning to march to the Kanchipuram Collector office with their demands. The protest has been ongoing for seven days, with employees seeking better wages and working conditions.
Last Thursday, a representative from the Samsung Employees Union met with Tamil Nadu Labour Department Minister C V Ganeshan at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, but no conclusion was reached. The employees continued their protest near the Sunkuwarchatiram factory without entering Kanchipuram city.
The employees also demanded the release of CITU leader E Muthukumar, who was detained by Kanchipuram police ahead of the planned march. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) alleged that the employees were being forcefully detained by police officials.
CITU State President A Soundarajan met with Kanchipuram Collector Kalaiselvi and submitted a petition regarding the ongoing Samsung Union Protest. He stated, “We gave a petition regarding the ongoing Samsung Protest to the District Collector. The union was formed two months ago in the Samsung facility. Management was taking efforts to undermine the union and pressured the employees a lot to leave the union.”
Soundarajan added, “Samsung management harassed the employees who opposed leaving the union. Seeing the attitude of Samsung management, employees started an indefinite strike.” He emphasized that there is no room for compromise in forming a union and mentioned plans to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. He also opposed the detention of Samsung employees and the arrest of E Muthukumar, CITU Leader of Kanchipuram District.
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.
Tamil Nadu -: Tamil Nadu is a state in the southern part of India.
Detained -: Detained means being held or kept by the police for some time.
Chennai -: Chennai is the capital city of Tamil Nadu.
Union -: A union is a group of workers who come together to protect their rights and improve their working conditions.
Kanchipuram Collector -: The Kanchipuram Collector is a government official in charge of the Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu.
Wages -: Wages are the money people earn for the work they do.
Labour Department Minister -: The Labour Department Minister is a government official responsible for workers’ rights and issues.
C V Ganeshan -: C V Ganeshan is the Labour Department Minister of Tamil Nadu.
CITU -: CITU stands for Centre of Indian Trade Unions, which is an organization that helps workers in India.
E Muthukumar -: E Muthukumar is a leader in the CITU who was detained by the police.
A Soundarajan -: A Soundarajan is the State President of CITU in Tamil Nadu.
Right to form a union -: The right to form a union means workers can come together to create a group that helps protect their interests and rights at work.
