After 37 days of striking, workers at Samsung Electronics’ factory in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, have called off their strike following successful talks with the government and management. The agreement includes a wage increase and a promise from the company not to take any action against the employees who participated in the strike.
The workers, supported by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), had most of their demands met. However, the issue of formally recognizing the workers’ union is still pending a court decision. Despite this, the union decided to end the strike for now, with the government’s support for the registration request.
As part of the deal, the workers agreed to return to work immediately, and the company assured them there would be no negative consequences for striking. Both sides committed to working together moving forward.
Why the Strike Happened
The strike began due to workers demanding the recognition of their newly formed union, the Samsung India Workers’ Union (SIWU), which is affiliated with CITU. Samsung has resisted this, not wanting an external union to negotiate on behalf of the workers. The state labor department also delayed processing the union’s registration, leading the workers to seek help from the Madras High Court.
Earlier in July, Samsung also faced a major strike at its factory in Seoul, South Korea, where over 6,500 employees demanded better wages and working conditions.
