04:26Hundreds of Samsung's factory workers are striking for increased pay and better working conditions in India's industrial city of Chennai.
Footage filmed on Saturday shows workers demonstrating under a tent near the Samsung plant. Many can be seen listening to speeches, signing a petition and holding up a sign reading 'Employees, workers are the strength of the company. Give them respect'.
Workers are demanding "good welfare, a wage increase and a fair bonus from the profits," according to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)'s Samsung India Workers Union President E. Muthukumar.
Additionally, workers are advocating for better working hours and schedules - drawing comparisons to the more favorable hours and compensation of their colleagues at the company's South Korean factory.
"Here, we work for seven days. Even if we work legally for six days, we are forced to work for seven days," Muthukumar claimed. "In addition to working for eight hours, we have to be inside the factory for an extra hour. We have to eat and drink tea for an extra hour. We have to work for two hours more than that. So, the total working hours inside the factory are 11.5 hours."
The union's president also noted that their colleagues in South Korea are making '4.5 lakhs (EUR 4,841) per month' whereas Samsung allegedly produces 'the same product for 30,000 rupees (EUR 322)' in their Indian factory.
"The strike has impacted production so much that only 3 to 4 percent of production is currently happening. The effects of this will affect other manufacturing units as well. There are about 100 supplier companies. Even those companies were also affected due to this as a chain reaction," he added.
The strike, which has now entered its sixth day, was organised by the CITU. According to union leaders, 1,550 of the factory's 1,770 workers are participating in the strike. Meanwhile, talks between workers, union leaders and Samsung are still ongoing.
Hundreds of Samsung factory workers strike for better working conditions in Chennai
Hundreds of Samsung's factory workers are striking for increased pay and better working conditions in India's industrial city of Chennai.
Footage filmed on Saturday shows workers demonstrating under a tent near the Samsung plant. Many can be seen listening to speeches, signing a petition and holding up a sign reading 'Employees, workers are the strength of the company. Give them respect'.
Workers are demanding "good welfare, a wage increase and a fair bonus from the profits," according to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)'s Samsung India Workers Union President E. Muthukumar.
Additionally, workers are advocating for better working hours and schedules - drawing comparisons to the more favorable hours and compensation of their colleagues at the company's South Korean factory.
"Here, we work for seven days. Even if we work legally for six days, we are forced to work for seven days," Muthukumar claimed. "In addition to working for eight hours, we have to be inside the factory for an extra hour. We have to eat and drink tea for an extra hour. We have to work for two hours more than that. So, the total working hours inside the factory are 11.5 hours."
The union's president also noted that their colleagues in South Korea are making '4.5 lakhs (EUR 4,841) per month' whereas Samsung allegedly produces 'the same product for 30,000 rupees (EUR 322)' in their Indian factory.
"The strike has impacted production so much that only 3 to 4 percent of production is currently happening. The effects of this will affect other manufacturing units as well. There are about 100 supplier companies. Even those companies were also affected due to this as a chain reaction," he added.
The strike, which has now entered its sixth day, was organised by the CITU. According to union leaders, 1,550 of the factory's 1,770 workers are participating in the strike. Meanwhile, talks between workers, union leaders and Samsung are still ongoing.
Hundreds of Samsung's factory workers are striking for increased pay and better working conditions in India's industrial city of Chennai.
Footage filmed on Saturday shows workers demonstrating under a tent near the Samsung plant. Many can be seen listening to speeches, signing a petition and holding up a sign reading 'Employees, workers are the strength of the company. Give them respect'.
Workers are demanding "good welfare, a wage increase and a fair bonus from the profits," according to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)'s Samsung India Workers Union President E. Muthukumar.
Additionally, workers are advocating for better working hours and schedules - drawing comparisons to the more favorable hours and compensation of their colleagues at the company's South Korean factory.
"Here, we work for seven days. Even if we work legally for six days, we are forced to work for seven days," Muthukumar claimed. "In addition to working for eight hours, we have to be inside the factory for an extra hour. We have to eat and drink tea for an extra hour. We have to work for two hours more than that. So, the total working hours inside the factory are 11.5 hours."
The union's president also noted that their colleagues in South Korea are making '4.5 lakhs (EUR 4,841) per month' whereas Samsung allegedly produces 'the same product for 30,000 rupees (EUR 322)' in their Indian factory.
"The strike has impacted production so much that only 3 to 4 percent of production is currently happening. The effects of this will affect other manufacturing units as well. There are about 100 supplier companies. Even those companies were also affected due to this as a chain reaction," he added.
The strike, which has now entered its sixth day, was organised by the CITU. According to union leaders, 1,550 of the factory's 1,770 workers are participating in the strike. Meanwhile, talks between workers, union leaders and Samsung are still ongoing.