Nearly 210 workers of the Nokia Siemens’ Chennai plant are on strike since June 6, 2013. Their demand — recognition of the Union they have formed.
The company manufactures the entire range of telecom equipment for 2G, 3G and Long Term Evolution (4G technology). Around 800 workers work in the factory.
Nearly 210 workers of the Nokia Siemens’ Chennai plant are on strike since June 6, 2013. Their demand — recognition of the Union they have formed.
The company manufactures the entire range of telecom equipment for 2G, 3G and Long Term Evolution (4G technology). Around 800 workers work in the factory.
E. Muthukumar, President, Nokia Siemens Networks India Workers’ Union, which is leading the agitation, said that the agitation was mainly to demand recognition for the union. As reported in earlier issues of Mazdoor Ekta Lehar, the company had suspended 72 workers a year ago at the time the Union was formed. 5 of these workers are still to be reinstated.
The management of Nokia Siemens has openly declared that they are opposed to workers organizing themselves into a union. “We do not want to have one because these are politically motivated groups who have a history of doing untoward incidents and even illegal activities like blocking production in the factory. We want to have direct discussion with a large number of employees” the spokesperson of the management has said. In other words, this multinational, just like other multinationals which are investing in India, openly flouts the labour laws of India, as well as the ILO laws, on rights of workers to form a union of their choice.
Nokia Siemens manufactured nearly 13 lakh units in 2013 compared with 9.78 lakh two years ago. It had started the plant in 2008.