Samsung, union talks fail to reach agreement, to resume on May 19

CHENNAI: The talks between Samsung and CITU-backed the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) over wage negotiations and disciplinary action against a section of workers ended inconclusively on Friday. The next round of talks, facilitated by the labour department, has been scheduled for Monday.

CITU Kancheepuram district secretary and SIWU president E Muthukumar said that the talks with the management ended without reaching an agreement. “The next round of talks will be held on Monday, and hopefully it will be the last round,” he said.

Over 1,000 workers were on a month-long protest over the suspension of 23 workers belonging to the union. The strike was called off on March 7 after the intervention of the state government and Samsung’s assurance to respond in writing to the union’s charter of demands, which included a wage revision to Rs 36,000 per month over three years. But the talks chaired by the additional labour commissioners have failed to reach an agreement.

However, the union alleged that the management continued to take vindictive actions against the workers affiliated with it after they returned to work. The union announced a series of protests this month condemning alleged anti-labour practices by Samsung India’s management.

On May 3, a section of Samsung workers affiliated to the CITU observed a one-day hunger strike protesting the management's practice of offering salary hikes only to employees who signed agreements facilitated by a management-supported group, thereby excluding other workers.