Indian police detained 104 workers on strike from a Samsung Electronics plant in southern India on Monday as they prepared to march in protest over low wages, authorities said.
The workers, who have been on strike for seven days, are employed at a Samsung home appliance factory near Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu.
The strike has disrupted production at the plant, which contributes roughly one-third of Samsung’s $12 billion in annual revenue from India.
Police said the protest march, planned for Monday, was halted because the workers lacked permission to demonstrate in an area near schools, colleges, and hospitals. “There was no permission given for the march,” said K. Shanmugam, a senior police officer in the Kancheepuram district.
Samsung has so far declined to recognize any union backed by an external labor group. The company did not respond to requests for comment, but on Friday said it had initiated discussions with workers at the Chennai plant “to resolve all issues at the earliest.”
