Samsung Workers Protest in Chennai: Over 1,000 Employees Demand Better Wages and Conditions
In Chennai, Tamil Nadu, more than 1,000 Samsung workers have been on strike since September 9. They are demanding a wage hike, union recognition, and an 8-hour workday. The protest is led by CITU Tamil Nadu Secretary Muthukumar.
Muthukumar stated, “If police are not allowing us to protest here again, we will take this matter to court and get our rights.”
Despite three rounds of negotiations with Samsung management, no agreement has been reached. When workers tried to march to the collector’s office, they were arrested by the police. The Samsung management has filed a case in the Kanchipuram court, requesting that protestors sit 500 meters away from the factory, although they are already two kilometers away.
The trade unions have vowed to continue the protests until their demands are met. Muthukumar mentioned that the management had asked workers to disband the union and was hindering union recognition by raising various complaints. The workers have also been forced to work overtime for up to 11 hours.
On Monday, protestors were detained when they entered Kanchipuram but were released in the evening. A case was filed against more than 100 employees.
Doubts Revealed
Samsung -: Samsung is a big company from South Korea that makes electronics like phones, TVs, and refrigerators.
Chennai -: Chennai is a large city in the southern part of India, known for its culture, education, and industries.
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.
Union -: A union is a group of workers who come together to make sure they are treated fairly at work.
CITU -: CITU stands for Centre of Indian Trade Unions, which is an organization that helps workers in India fight for their rights.
Tamil Nadu -: Tamil Nadu is a state in the southern part of India, and Chennai is its capital city.
Secretary Muthukumar -: Muthukumar is a leader in the CITU organization in Tamil Nadu, helping the workers with their protest.
Negotiations -: Negotiations are talks between two sides to try to reach an agreement.
Management -: Management refers to the people in a company who make decisions and are in charge of running it.
Court -: A court is a place where legal issues are decided by a judge.
