TN police detains 600 workers, union members as Samsung protests escalate

Tamil Nadu police detain around 600 Samsung Electronics workers and union members for organising a street protest

Tamil Nadu police on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) said it has detained around 600 Samsung Electronics workers and union members for organising a street protest, as a strike at the South Korean firm's home appliances plant in Tamil Nadu entered its fourth week.

More than 1,000 workers have disrupted operations and protested in a makeshift tent close to the factory near the city of Chennai since Sept. 9. They have demanded higher wages and union recognition at the plant, which accounts for roughly a third of Samsung's annual Indian revenue of $12 billion.

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Charles Sam Rajadurai, a senior State police official, said Samsung employees and workers linked to labour group CITU, which is leading the protest, were detained as their protest march near Chennai was inconveniencing the public.

"They are being detained in four wedding halls," he said.

On September 16, police detained 104 striking Samsung workers for almost a day.

The protests cast a shadow over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive for foreign investors to "Make in India" and is India's biggest such strike in recent years. Samsung has said the striking workers risk losing their jobs.