Left, VCK leaders likely to meet CM Stalin on Samsung factory stir issue

Chennai, Oct 10 (IANS) In a bid to resolve the face-off between the Left-backed trade union CITU and the Samsung India management, CPI(M) and VCK top leaders will soon be meeting Chief Minister Stalin here.

CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state secretary K. Balakrishnan, CPI state secretary Mutharasan and VCK founder leader Thol Thirumavalavan are likely to meet the CM, but the timing has not been confirmed yet.

The CPI(M), CPI and VCK are allies of the DMK but, the senior leaders of these parties have come out against the police action at the Samsung India factory in Sriperumbudur on the striking employees and the subsequent arrest of senior leaders of the CITU, including its Tamil Nadu president A.Soundararajan and the Kancheepuram District secretary E. Muthukrishnan.

PMK leader S. Ramadoss said the Dravidian model of the DMK was against the workers and that the ruling party had through police action on the workers proved that the state government and the DMK were batting for the multinational company.

AIADMK chief Edappadi K.Palaniswami (EPS) expressed shock at the late-night arrest of protesting employees of Samsung as other CITU leaders.

DMK, which has been politically isolated on the issue, attempted some face-saving measures with state Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu appealing to the CITU workers to withdraw the strike.

In the appeal, he said that the Tamil Nadu government did not indulge in any kind of oppression against the workers.

He, however, said that generally when a political party holds an agitation without permission, the government adopts a certain approach for all political parties. He added that the Kancheepuram district administration and police adopted the same on the issue of agitation at the Samsung India plant.

Thangam Thenarasu also said that the only bone of contention between the striking employees of Samsung India and the management is the registration of the CITU union in the factory and added that both CITU and Samsung have approached the Madras High Court.

He said that as the matter is sub judice, the government has to wait till the verdict of the court.

It may be recalled that 1,000 of the 1,800 workers of the Samsung India plant at Sriperumbudur have been protesting since September 9, 2024, and the protest turned violent leading to the police stepping in and arresting a few people.

The state government had deputed three Ministers led by state Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa to resolve the issue.

While the issues pertaining to salary and commutation were settled, the issue of registration of CITU in the company could not be resolved and the workers are continuing the agitation.