Acting tough on striking employees of Samsung Chennai at Vella Gate (White Gate) in Kanchipuram, the police asked them to vacate the place on Thursday morning. The temporary protest site at Vella Gate where a section of the company workers were in protest wore a deserted look as they headed back to the plant at Sriperumbudur to continue the protest inside the factory, said E Muthukumar of CITU, which is backing the newly registered Samsung India Thozhilalargal Sangam.
Samsung Plant
| Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
At the Samsung plant in Sriperumbudur, a large number of police were stationed outside in the morning. A number of Samsung vehicles also parked outside. Government officials from Kanchipuram were seen entering the premises.
“Samsung factory workers are now sitting in the production section after forcing contract workers involved in illegal production to move. Management refuses to come to talks,” Muthukumar said. “An urgent meeting has been called by the labour department,” he told businessline.
Talks between Samsung and CITU leaders representing the Sangam in front of the labour department officials failed to bear fruit on Wednesday. The CITU plans to intensify the protest in Sriperumbudur during the weekend, Muthukumar said.
The workers are demanding that the company revoke suspension orders given to three workers belonging to the Sangam. However, the company is not willing to accept this. The company officials at the meeting said it plans to take action against 18 more workers. This was unacceptable. The company is also bringing in a large number of contract workers in a number of vehicles to keep the production on, he said.
“Samsung remains committed to resolving any issues by directly engaging with our workers. We do not condone illegal activities carried out by certain workers that threaten industrial peace and workplace safety. 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 legitimate process. Our priority is to maintain a safe and stable workplace for all workers,” the company said on Wednesday.
(The writer is at Kanchipuram to cover the events live)