CHENNAI: Yet another round of talks between representatives of Samsung India and the CITU-backed Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) failed on Monday. Samsung India continues to remain firm in its decision to initiate disciplinary action against 23 workers, forcing CITU to regroup to decide its next course of action, sources said.
While CITU’s main demand during the last few conciliatory talks has been for the suspension of the workers to be dropped in order to call off the protests, representatives from Samsung categorically informed them that it was not possible to reconsider the suspension, sources party to the talks said.
“On Tuesday, our members plan on going to the office of the Inspector of Factories at Sriperumbudur and submit a petition on the continued unlawful engagement (by Samsung) of contract workers in production,” said E Muthukumar, CITU Kancheepuram secretary.
The protests at Vellagate in Kancheepuram, in the meantime, will continue as usual, CITU members said.
While Samsung had sought the intervention of the state government after the sit-in strike culminated in the protesting workers entering the shop floor to remove contract workers from the production line, ministers were not part of the talks on Monday, said sources.
Speaking to TNIE, workers said that while the suspended workers are worried as to whether they will be subject to a fair inquiry if the disciplinary action against them is not dropped, they are determined to continue the protests.
“We don’t know if more workers are to receive suspension orders and this has made some jittery. However, the Vellagate protests are going strong and we are determined to continue,” a worker said.
Spokespersons at Samsung said their stand has not changed, reiterating their earlier statement. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for any illegal activities by workers that disrupt industrial stability and peace at the workplace.
It is important for all employees to adhere to company policies, and those who violate these policies will be subject to disciplinary action after due process. While our production remains uninterrupted, we urge the state authorities to secure the safety of our workers, maintain discipline and provide ease of doing business,” the spokespersons said.