The unionisation efforts of the workers of Samsung India’s Chennai plant have finally borne fruit. On 5 December, the Madras High Court had ordered the Tamil Nadu government to decide on the registration of the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) or Samsung India Thozhilalargal Sangam within six weeks. Sure enough, the state government has approved the registration of the Union, which is supported by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
The formal registration certificate of the Union was issued by the Joint Commissioner of Labour. The application for registration was submitted in June of 2024, but the decision/approval had been delayed leading to workers’ protests in September. The 37-day strike by the workers at Samsung India’s Chennai plant was called off in October when the management announced welfare measures and also assured that there would be no retaliation or action against them.
The strike had resulted in extensive discussions involving the Tamil Nadu government, which mediated between Samsung and the workers. State officials, including the departments of Industries, Labour, as well as MSMEs, held lengthy negotiations to facilitate a resolution.
In the first week of October, almost a month after protests, a portion of striking employees had decided to return to work, following some employees arriving at an agreement with Samsung India Electronics. The workers ended the strike in October after Samsung agreed to the demands that included no punitive action against the protesting workers, no wage cuts for the period of protests, and a commitment from Samsung to submit written replies to the workers’ demands before the conciliation officer.
Centre of Indian Trade Unions Tamil Nadu considers the registration of SIWU a triumph for the workers whose efforts have paid off.
