Nearly 12,000 workers belonging to many companies and affiliated to the CITU were arrested from across Tamil Nadu on Tuesday for supporting the strike by Samsung workers, which has entered its fourth week. The workers, including a large number from Samsung, were involved in a ‘mariyal’ (demonstration).

Sources said the arrested workers could be released by the end of the day.

E Muthu Kumar, President, Samsung India Workers’ Union - CITU, told businessline that the maximum number of arrests were made in Kancheepuram district, where Samsung has a factory. “Workers from across the State, backed by CITU, support the Samsung workers’ demand to form a union and a wage increase,” he added.

The Samsung factory at Sriperumbudur manufactures consumer durables such as washing machines and air-conditioners.

While around 1,100 of the company’s employees (out of a total of 1,800) are on strike, the company has deployed 500 workers — apprentices, contract labourers and staff from other departments such as logistics and quality control.

As much as 50 per cent of the production was disrupted on Day 1 of the strike, and the company managed to increase production to 60 per cent on Day 2. Through various initiatives, production at the factory is now at 85-90 per cent, and will be 100 per cent later this week, said sources.

In FY23, Samsung’s revenue from home appliances and television sales (goods produced in the Chennai factory) was around ₹19,000 crore, according to documents submitted with the Registrar of Companies.

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