Chennai: Protesting Samsung Workers To Approach Court if Police Prohibits Their Strike, Says Tamil Nadu Centre of Indian Trade Unions Secretary E Muthukumar

Chennai, September 23: Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Tamil Nadu Secretary Muthukumar has said that if the police prohibit the protest by employees near the Samsung company's factory in Chennai, the workers will approach courts to safeguard their rights. More than 1,000 Samsung workers have been on a strike near the factory since September 9, to implement their 20 demands including wage hike, union recognition and 8-hour work.

"If police are not allowing us to protest here again, we will take this matter to court and get our rights," Muthukumar said.

"After three rounds of negotiations with them (Samsung management), no amicable decision was reached, when the employees tried to march towards the collector's office, they were arrested by the police," the CITU secretary said. Previously, the CITU Tamil Nadu State Secretary, said that the Samsung management has initiated a case in the Kanchipuram court that the protestors should sit 500 meters away from the premises, while they are already sitting two kilometres away. Muthukumar said, "The Samsung management has initiated a case in the Kanchipuram court that we should sit 500 metres away from their premises but we are nearly two kilometers away and blamed us saying that the striking employees have been indulging in brainwashing the employees who have been going to work." Audi Layoffs Coming? Workers Protest on Streets of Brussels in Belgium Amid Fear of Job Cuts at Audi’s Forest Plant (Watch Videos).

The trade unions have informed that the protests will continue until the demands are fulfilled. CITU Tamil Nadu Secretary said earlier that the management had asked the workers to disband the union, and was hindering the recognition of unions by raising various complaints. The workers, led by union head Muthukumar, have been demanding better wages and improved working conditions. Hundreds of striking Samsung employees have been sitting outside the plant in their company uniforms. Samsung Electronic’s Plant Faces Disruption As Workers Strike Over Higher Wages, Better Working Conditions at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.

Muthukumar said, "Our demands were not met and the management has urged us to disband the union. They are hindering the recognition of the union by raising complaints. When the union decided to stop overtime, the management forced employees to work overtime for up to 11 hours." The first and second rounds of talks had failed with the state labour department and labour minister in the Secretariat. On Monday, the protestors were detained when they entered Kanchipuram. They were later released in the evening. A case was filed against more than 100 employees.

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