Workers paid 1.8x of average industry salary in Sriperumbudur: Samsung

Striking workers demanding hike to Rs 36,000/mth over three years

As the strike by Samsung Electronics employees in Sriperumbudur on the outskirts of Chennai entered its 16th day, the company on Tuesday claimed that it is paying 1.8 times of the average salary that manufacturing workers in the region are getting.

"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 Samsung statement said.

According to the workers, who are continuing their strike 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, has reportedly around 35 fortune 500 companies and thousands of MSMEs in and around it. This is considering the fact that 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 standard 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 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.