Samsung India workers win historic union registration after months of strike

The first Samsung workers’ union in India has been registered after a 38-day protest and 212-day legal fight.

In a landmark victory for the labour movement, the Tamil Nadu Labour Department registered the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)-backed Samsung India Workers’ Union (SIWU) after weeks of protests and months of legal battle.

The union, Samsung India Thozhilalargal Sangam, was registered under the Trade Unions Act, 1926, after more than 1,000 workers of Samsung India Electronics in the Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, protested for the registration and recognition of their union.

“One hundred and six years ago, in 1918, the Madras Labour Union became the country’s first workers’ union. Today, the city makes history again,” said E. Muthukumar, CITU leader and SIWU president, as per reports.

The SIWU is India’s first Samsung workers’ union and the world’s second after South Korea’s National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), according to officials. 

While the SIWU applied online for registration on June 26, 2024, the union remained unregistered beyond the Act’s 45-day limit despite meeting all membership requirements and other criteria.

After the delay in registration, the union on September 20, 2024, approached the Madras High Court for their rights. Several Samsung workers were arrested for protesting in October, while others continued their demonstrations in Chennai and Kancheepuram.

SIWU currently has 1,350 members. Of the plant’s 1,850 workers, the union is expecting 400 more to join.

“While the government maintains policies for women and students, it lacks policies for labour,” Muthukumar noted. “The government must ensure corporate companies follow our labour laws and Constitution.”

The NSEU, established after the protest of 30,000 Korean workers, extended support to SIWU in September 2024. NSEU’s September 14 solidarity note stated, “The CITU and SIWU unions lead a legitimate struggle for Indian workers’ rights.”

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