Cividep India together with GoodElectronics has published a profile of Samsung’s operations in India. Cividep describes how Samsung India has completed 20 years of operating in India with special offers called “Celebrating 20 years” for twenty days in December 2015, as a way of “giving back” to its ever growing customer base in India.

However, this generosity of spirit is not evident in Samsung’s attitude towards its greatest resource: its hardworking labour force. The reality on the ground is that workers in Samsung are given poor wages that do not meet even their basic monthly expenses. Their working conditions are unfavourable, and there are no effective grievance redress mechanisms. Samsung’s attitude to the right to freedom of association is particularly unsympathetic and at odds both with national and international labour standards and regulations.

For this report Cividep India conducted interviews with 15 workers, followed by a Focus Group Discussion with 10 workers from Samsung’s manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. The intention was to understand the working conditions at Samsung and its impact on workers lives and how workers perceive Samsung as an employer.

Download the report Samsung in India: 20 years on, but low
labour standards