CHENNAI: Ahead of the second round of conciliation talks by the Labour Department, the CITU has appealed to the state government to intervene to ensure the rights of the striking Samsung workers.

“About 85 per cent of the employees of Samsung have been taking part in the strike since September 9 seeking recognition for the Samsung India Workers’ Union and the right to collective bargaining. The company is acting against the law of the land by denying the right to form a trade union. If the company stops acting against the law, the strike will come to an end,” CITU state president A Soundararajan and general secretary G Sugumar said in a statement.

The union leader noted that they are not adamant in about all the demands. “But it was the company which tried to undermine the union by creating a competing worker's committee and forcing the workers to join it. It had offered incentives to join the workers’ committee which is against the law,” he said. He added that the company has started recruiting casual labourers and workers from its vendor units to take part in the production. “It is completely illegal. The government should step in and bring amicable settlement,” they demanded.