India police detain 600 workers, union members as Samsung protests escalate

CHENNAI, India — 

Indian constabulary connected Tuesday said they person detained astir 600 Samsung Electronics workers and national members for organizing a thoroughfare protest, arsenic a onslaught astatine the South Korean firm's location appliances works successful Tamil Nadu authorities entered its 4th week.

More than 1,000 workers have disrupted operations and protested successful a makeshift structure adjacent to the mill adjacent the metropolis of Chennai since Sept. 9. They person demanded higher wages and national designation astatine the plant, which accounts for astir a third of Samsung's yearly Indian gross of $12 billion.

Charles Sam Rajadurai, a elder authorities constabulary official, said Samsung employees and workers linked to labor group CITU, which is starring the protest, were detained arsenic their protestation march adjacent Chennai was inconveniencing the public.

"They are being detained successful 4 wedding halls," helium said.

On Sept. 16, constabulary detained 104 striking Samsung workers for astir a day.

The protests formed a shadiness implicit Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's thrust for overseas investors to "Make successful India" and is India's biggest specified onslaught successful caller years. Samsung has said the striking workers hazard losing their jobs.

Samsung did not respond to a petition for comment. It antecedently said the mean monthly wage of full-time manufacturing workers astatine the works is astir treble that of akin workers successful the region, and that it was unfastened to engaging with workers and to resoluteness the matter.

Samsung workers astatine the mill presently gain $300-$375 connected mean each month, CITU said.