As the labour dispute at Samsung India Electronics escalates, the company has now issued a show cause notice to the workers who have gone on strike and warned them that they will not be paid wages unless they report back to their duties. The firm issued a notice to the employees and said that their wages will be withheld unless they return to work.

The notice,issued by the firm’s HR department, termed the strike as ‘illegal’ and in violation of Sections 23 and 24 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, reported The Financial Express. The firm further urged the employees to respond in the show cause notice as to why their employment with the company should not be terminated within seven days.

Samsung also informed the workers that starting September 9, 2024, the day the strike began, the wages for the employees involved in the protest would be withheld for eight days. “You are not entitled to any wages from September 9 until you return to work on a ‘no work, no pay’ basis,” the notice read. 

Workers were given a timeline of three days to respond to the notice and explain why the firm should not cut deduct their income for the period mentioned. The notice issued another warning to the employees wherein if they don’t return to their duties in four days, they would have to explain why they deserve to retain their employment status with the firm.

“If you fail to report to work within four days, you must provide a written explanation within seven days on why your employment should not be terminated,” the notice read.

Notably, thousands of workers at Samsung’s Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai have been protesting since September 9, 2024. The strike is being conducted from a makeshift tent outside the facility and the workers are demanding higher wages, an improvement in working conditions, and recognition of a union supported by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

The notice follows the order from the Kancheepuram district court wherein it called on both sides to expedite the process for concilation. Samsung Electronics has also filed a lawsuit against CITU members looking for a temporary injunction to curb protests near the plant. CITU is leading the strike, the report noted.