Is The Labour Strike At Samsung Chennai Plant Orchestrated?

In a globalised environment, business is not just about buying and selling. It is also not just about demand and supply. It is much more than all these. It’s a tool to push geo-political influence. Is there a foreign hand in the labour face-off at Samsung plant near Chennai? The Left union represented by CITU is spearheading an industrial action at the Samsung plant, demanding the recognition of its union among other things. In the midst of the face-off with the management, New Delhi has advised the Tamil Nadu Government to amicably resolve the labour imbroglio at Samsung. Post pandemic and especially in the wake of constant border skirmishes with Beijing, New Delhi has been making constant effort to pare dependence on Chinese products. Mobile devices especially of the Chinese make are sought to be controlled in the marketplace. Viewed against this backdrop, the industrial action at Samsung is viewed with more than cursory interest. And, the CITU entry into Samsung has raised considerable disquiet among the administration at different levels. Also, it coincides at a time when New Delhi is working hard to woo global investment in the wake of China plus one strategy adopted by nation states. The advisory to the State Government on Samsung assumes significance if one reads it in the context of CITU and its well-known leanings.