CHENNAI: Condemning the suspension of 15 more employees, over 500 workers of the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) on Friday staged a demonstration near Oragadam bridge in Kancheepuram. The CITU, backing the workers’ union, announced its plans for a massive one-day strike on March 10, expecting over 12,000 workers across 58 unions from various industrial sectors in Kancheepuram district to take part.
A strike notice is set to be issued on February 24. Union leaders warned that if Samsung fails to meet the workers’ demands, the agitation could escalate into a statewide shutdown. CITU Kancheepuram secretary and SIWU leader Muthukumar told TNIE, “We’ve had six rounds of talks so far, with Samsung attending five.
Another round of talks is scheduled for February 24. If our demands are not met, Sriperumbudur industrial sector workers will join the protest the next day, followed by workers from the entire Kancheepuram industrial sector on March 10 for a massive protest,” he said.
The Samsung management cited indiscipline as a reason for the suspension of 15 workers after the protesters entered the shop floor and made the contract workers leave. On February 5, the management suspended three workers.
One of the protesting workers said the company could not replace its employees, who have 15 years of experience, with unskilled contract workers.