TN ministers meet Samsung protesters as stir resumes after three-day break

Union representatives stated that apart from their existing demands, they also appealed to the ministers to quash the FIRs filed against around 10 of the Samsung workers during the course of the protests.

The new protest site is 600 metres away from the earlier spot

CHENNAI: After a break of three days for Ayudha pooja, the employees of the Samsung unit in Sriperumpudur resumed their protest on Monday, around 600 metres from their earlier protest site in Echoor village.

CITU members said they shifted the protest site after the Kancheepuram police denied them entry to the site. Though a pandal is yet to be raised at the new site, over 300 workers sat in protest until around 3 pm.

Meanwhile, another round of talks between representatives of CITU union, Samsung workers and the three designated Ministers – Industries Minister TRB Rajaa, MSME Minister TM Anbarasan and Labour Minister CV Ganesan – were held at the secretariat on Monday evening. The talks were still going on at the time of going to press.

Union representatives said apart from their existing demands, they also appealed to the ministers to quash the FIRs filed against around 10 of the Samsung workers during the course of the protests.

A CITU member who preferred anonymity said, “Even at the new spot, policemen have been stationed with their vans. They picked up a group of workers on Monday too, dropped them off at Sunguvarchatram bus stop nearby and asked them to go home. The protesters, however, walked back to the site,” he said.

Lending her support to the workers, DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakant joined the protests on Monday.

The protest, that has crossed a month, demands the recognition of a CITU-led union. Union members said the protests will continue despite the rain forecast, and that they will raise the pandal on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, over 200 contract workers at Madras Fertilizers Limited in Manali, protested briefly on Monday, demanding Deepavali bonus and to be allowed to take their mobile phones to work.

R Jayaraman, the president of the Thiruvottiyur-Ennore-Manali general workers union said after the management came forward for talks, the workers agreed to return to work.

“We have informed the management that they are expected to arrive at a resolution within a maximum of two weeks, failing which workers will resume their protest,” Jayaraman said. The management has also agreed to allow the workers to take their mobile phones inside until they set up lockers to leave them safely during work hours, said union members.