TN govt registers Samsung India Workers Union under Trade Union Act
Indeed, the CITU on Saturday warned the state government that the Samsung factory workers in Sunguvarchatram would go on strike if their trade union was not registered within the deadline fixed by the Madras High Court.
Representative image
CHENNAI: CHENNAI: Workers at the Samsung plant in Sunguvarchatram finally managed to get their trade union recognised as the Tamil Nadu government formally registered the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU) under the Trade Union Act 1926, hours before the Madras High Court fixed deadline came to an end. It was one of the key demands of the workers’ tools down strike that lasted over a month.
Only on Saturday did the CITU warn the state government that the Samsung factory workers would go on strike again if it failed to register their trade union within the deadline fixed by the Madras High Court. The court directed the labour department to register 'SIWU' within six weeks, which ends on January 27.
Nearly 1,500 workers had resorted to a 37-day-long strike against the delay in registering the union and raising several other demands. They ended the protest after the government agreed to comply with the court order, while the Samsung management assured that no action would be taken against those workers who took part in the strike.
After receiving the SIWU registration certificate from the labour department, E Muthukumar, Kancheepuram district secretary, CITU and president of Samsung India Workers’ Union said, “It is a historic victory for the labour movement in the State.”
He expressed hope that Samsung India would recognise the SIWU. “We are for lasting industrial peace. Recognising the union and respecting the workers’ sentiments and rights will ensure peace. If the company fails to recognise the union, the workers will resort to protest,” he warned.
Expressing disappointment over the delay in registering the union, he said it took 225 days for the government to act. “Though the rules state that the registration of a trade union should be completed within 45 days, the state government delayed it without giving any reason. We had to move the court for relief. Even then, the government registered the union only on the last day of the six-week deadline issued by the court,” he rued.
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