Chennai, April 3
The Samsung India Thozhilalar Sangam, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), has issued a 14-day strike notice to the management of the Samsung factory in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur.
This follows the withdrawal of a month-long protest by the union on March 7.
The Sangam is demanding the reinstatement of 23 suspended workers, recognition of their union, and a formal wage agreement.
They have also challenged the legitimacy of a newly-formed group - the Samsung India Welfare Federation - which, according to the Sangam, has signed a wage agreement with the company.
The strike notice, jointly signed by Sangam President E. Muthukumar and Secretary P. Ellan, urged the company to withdraw complaints against the suspended workers and reinstate them immediately. The notice also emphasised that the Sangam represents the majority of the workforce and should be formally recognised by Samsung.
The union further called for the immediate disbursement of ex-gratia payments and requested the company to conduct a secret ballot to determine which workers’ body - the Sangam or the Federation - has the majority backing among employees.
If these demands are not met, the Sangam warned that its members would launch an indefinite strike after the 14-day notice period ends.