Preventative Actions Against Unionization: A State Authorised Taboo

The language of an international conglomerate, however untainted and progressive it might seem to the general public, hides an impending fear of something so sacrilegious that they are scared even to utter such a word. For a conglomerate such as Samsung, which generates billions in yearly turnover, they mean well when they disrespect the demands of worker’s strike of thousands from Tamil Nadu. The workers of Samsung have been protesting since September 9th with a list of demands, one of the main ones being the recognition of their newly-founded workers union. The word “union” is taboo and receives much criticism due to its historical notions. As a single worker, demand remains a silent thought, but for a union to voice out a demand means that such and such demand must be fulfilled for the company to function in the first place.

The staff at The News Minute write, “[a]ccording to reports, the Tamil Nadu police barged into the homes of the workers and took them into preventive detention. They also allegedly dismantled the tents at the protest site after the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) lodged a complaint stating that the protest was being held in government land.”. A thorough screening happened on the factory site a day before this happened. Buses, private vehicles, and auto rickshaws were taken under the control of police officers to check the identification of the workers who were protesting against Samsung. However, this was not surprising after learning about the fact that around 900 employees were detained for staging a protest. This was based on a court order, which basically stated that since the land belonged to the government, such practices were unlawful.

The unionization of workers has had an exciting history in India. However, this particular protest comes at the sheer desperate measure that Samsung is influencing, both private and public, to ensure such a protest does not happen in the first place. A bold move. Even after a memorandum was signed, CITU encouraged the strike to continue. They agreed to most demands but still did not accept to recognise the Samsung India Thozhilalar Sangam (SIWU).

Surprisingly, this protest garnered the attention of multiple political parties that came together to demand the chief minister’s attention. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Both allied with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) sought to resolve this issue. They said,

“It is deeply saddening that the workers who were protesting peacefully have been arrested,” Thirumavalavan said. The case against them must be withdrawn immediately, he said. “Those who were arrested must be unconditionally released with immediate effect. The chief minister must intervene in this matter directly. We believe that is the only way a proper solution can be found,” he said. 

A government call-out like this was the most out-of-touch press meeting where they basically condemned something that a government official, the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), had done. The hot tip that they were protesting on government land was allegedly given by the RDO of the area. The claims have only been investigated by these political representatives on a surface level, for uncovering such a thing would also mean calling out a powerful yet silent actor behind the detainment of the workers: the government itself.

To blame a conglomerate like Samsung is, unfortunately, the easy way out. An ambiguous call-out by government officials does not reveal who the perpetrators are to the public. The taboo of unionization is one that is not just propagated by their capitalistic institutions but also backed by a power-hungry economy that demands the government to remain compliant with the system. The absence of justice is state-authorised violence, and this violence has become justified since it is now preventative.