Factbox: Labour woes at India operations of global companies

Wistron

10/09/2024 11:12

BENGALURU, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics'
 005930.KS  operations at its plant in southern India were
disrupted for a second day on Tuesday by hundreds of employees
striking for higher wages. 
    Global firms such as automaker Renault  RENA.PA  and
Apple-supplier Foxconn  2317.TW  have begun manufacturing in
India in recent years, drawn by its large market but also
cheaper labour. 
    Here are some of the major instances of companies' Indian
operations being disrupted by labour-related woes since the turn
of the decade:
    
    Oct. 2023: Workers of General Motors India staged protests
after the plant in western Maharashtra state was acquired by
Hyundai Motor India  HYUN.NS , leading to a halt in production
for five days, media reported. The workers wanted Hyundai to
absorb them.
    
    Dec. 2021 - Jan. 2022: Foxconn, which makes chargers for
Apple, shuttered a factory for over three weeks in southern
Tamil Nadu state due to protests over workers falling sick with
food poisoning.
    
    May 2021: Automakers including Renault-Nissan, Hyundai, and
Ford Motor Co  F.N  shut down operations at their Tamil Nadu
facilities after workers threatened to or staged protests over
coronavirus-related safety concerns. Ford stopped work for two
days, while the other two suspended operations for five days
each.
    
    Dec. 2020 - Feb. 2021: Another Apple supplier Wistron Corp's
 3231.TW  factory in Karnataka was shut for two months after
contract workers angry over unpaid wages destroyed property,
equipment and iPhones.
    
    Nov. 2020 - Dec. 2020: For roughly two months, Toyota Motor
Corp  7203.T  sporadically halted operations at its
manufacturing plant in Karnataka amid protests against the
suspension of a worker.

    Nov. 2019: Protests at Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India's
plant in Haryana led to the facility being closed for 18 days,
per media reports. Protesters said several workers had been
forced to go on indefinite leave. The unrest lasted for about
five months, even after the plant was re-opened.

 (Reporting by Varun Hebbalalu and Haripriya Suresh, Editing by
Alexandra Hudson)
 ((varunvyas.hebbalalu@thomsonreuters.com;))