As the strike by Samsung Electronics employees in Chennai entered its 16th day, the company on Tuesday claimed that it is paying 1.8 times more salary than the average salary that manufacturing workers in the region receive.
“At Samsung India, the welfare of our workers is our top priority. The average monthly salary of our full-time manufacturing workers at the Chennai plant is 1.8 times the average salary of similar workers employed at other companies in the region,” a company statement said. According to the striking workers under the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the average salary at Samsung is in the region of Rs 20,000-25,000 per month. An industry body had told Business Standard that the average salary in the region is around Rs 16,000 and may vary depending on whether the company is a global player, domestic major, or an MSME. The current assessment includes all the industrial units in the area.
Sriperumbudur, a major industrial cluster in the state, reportedly has around 35 Fortune 500 companies and thousands of micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region. Tamil Nadu has the third-largest number of MSMEs in the country, with a share of 8 per cent and around five million enterprises.
“Our workers are eligible for overtime pay and other allowances, and we provide a workplace environment that assures the highest standards of health, safety, and welfare. We reiterate that we are ready to engage with our workers to address their grievances, so that they can return back to work at the earliest,” the company said. The workers are demanding recognition of their union and also a rise in salary to Rs 36,000 over a period of three years.
First Published: Sep 24 2024 | 7:41 PM IST