Strike at Samsung Electronics' Indian Factory Workers' Demands and Deadlock

TapTechNews September 26th news, the strike of more than 1,000 workers at Samsung Electronics' Indian factory has entered its third week, and the management is at an impasse in terms of asking for recognition of the employee union and raising wages.

South Korea's 'Kookmin Ilbo' claimed on September 25th to have obtained an 'exclusive' news that members of the Samsung Electronics Indian factory union demanded improved treatment. In addition to raising the previously known wages, they also demanded exceptional benefits. It is revealed that the employees put forward requirements such as a 35-hour workweek and employment inheritance for family members when an employee dies.

Among the more than 1,800 workers currently in the factory, more than 1,000 have refused to go to work since September 9th, and their main demand is to increase wages, claiming that it should be raised from the current 35,000 rupees (TapTechNews note: currently about 470 US dollars) to 71,000 rupees in 3 years (currently about 950 US dollars).

Samsung Electronics stated in a statement that the average wage of workers in the Chennai area where the factory is located is about 19,000 rupees (currently about 250 US dollars). Samsung's factory is already 84% higher than the average wage.

It is reported that the latest demands of Samsung Electronics' Indian employees will reduce the currently agreed 6-day workweek to 5 days a week, and the daily working hours will also be reduced from 8 hours to 7 hours. If this requirement is accepted, Samsung Electronics' Indian factory employees will work 35 hours a week, which is even less than that in South Korea where Samsung Electronics' headquarters is located (40 hours a week).

The union also conveyed the requirement case for the 'employment inheritance system'. The focus of this requirement is that if a local employee dies, unless there is a particularly unqualified reason, the family member of the employee needs to be hired as the successor employee. The union also demands that Samsung Electronics subsidize thousands of rupees in private school tuition fees for employees' children every year.

A person related to Samsung Electronics said: 'On the wage issue, the path of a certain degree of salary increase is open, but requirements such as doubling the wage in a short period of time, it is impossible in reality.'

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