Police detain Left leaders staging protest in support of Samsung workers

Scores of the Left party members including their state leaders were detained here on Saturday when they held a demonstration without obtaining permission from the police, to express solidarity with the Samsung home appliance workers on protest since September 9.

Communist Party of India state secretary R Mutharasan and CPI (M) state secretary K Balakrishnan who were among those detained by the police, sought the immediate intervention of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin to resolve the strike by the Samsung workers.

They stressed that the protesting workers had a right to join a union and alleged that the workers were being oppressed.

A senior police official said all those detained would be kept at a marriage hall in Nungambakkam and later released.

While Balakrishnan wondered if the arrest, following their demonstration, was aimed at not upsetting the Samsung management, Mutharasan claimed that the Constitution allowed peaceful protests.

"Also, the question is: do we have the right to form a union or not?" Mutharasan, asked.

Meanwhile, Samsung India said the company was committed to resolving the issues including wages, benefits, and working conditions by negotiating with the workers directly.

The production at the factory which was impacted due to the strike earlier, has been normalised and the Korean electronic giant ensured that there was no disruption ahead of the festive season.

"At Samsung India, the welfare of our employees is our top priority. We want to reiterate that we comply with all laws and negotiations of the country.", the company spokesperson said.

The average monthly salary of the full-time manufacturing workers at the Chennai plant is 1.8 times the average salary of similar workers employed at other companies in the region.

"Our workers are also eligible for overtime pay and other allowances and we provide a workplace environment that assures the highest standards of health, safety and welfare, including free shuttle bus and meals," the spokesperson told PTI in response to the strike.

Observing that the average tenure of the workforce was more than 10 years, the company said it derived satisfaction in seeing the workers putting in many years of service for the company.

The spokesperson also clarified that the striking workers would not be paid for the duration of the illegal strike in accordance with the 'No Work, No Pay' policy.

"We are committed to resolving all issues including wages, benefits and working conditions by negotiating with our workers directly. As of now, we have been able to normalise production at our Chennai factory. We have ensured that there is no disruption to our consumers ahead of the festive season. We again urge the striking workers to return back to work," the spokesperson added.