Hundreds of Samsung workers involved in the manufacturing of electronics home appliances staged a day-long protest at the Sunkuwarchatiram factory, demanding wage revision and the right to form a union.

The workers, who had the backing of the CITU, sat on the road near the factory and demanded that the management fulfil their demands.

A notice by the union says that the plant has been operational for 16 years and employs 1,700 workers. The wages of these workers are less than the wages of some industrial workers.

“For 16 years, these workers have been without a registered union, but the management’s attitude, prudishness, abusive practices and workload have prompted the workers to form a union,” the notice said.

Since the union started and applied for registration, the management has resorted to various forms of repression, including harassment, threats of dismissal of elected officials, and withholding transfers within the company. The integrity of the labour department itself has been questioned, the notice says.

Some workers are isolated in dimly lit rooms all day. This is a gross violation of human rights and amounts to torture, the notice said.

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