Foxcomm unions plan major protest as Nokia leaves India

Around 1,500 Foxconn India workers plan to hold a hunger strike at Chepauk in Chennai on 23 January to protest against the suspension of work at the company's plant at the Nokia SEZ (special economic zone).

Workers affiliated to all the three unions - the LDF (Labour Progressive Front), the Anna Thozhir Sanga Peravai (ATP), and the official Foxconn India Employees Union which is backed by the Leftist CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) - are expected to participate in the fast.

On Monday, workers led by president of the Foxconn Union E Muthukumar took a march to Kancheepuram collectorate and submitted a memorandum to the district collector seeking his intervention in the ongoing labour tussle.

"Around 1,100 workers participated in the protest march," Muthukumar said.  "In our submission, we stated that in all the seven round of talks so far, the Foxconn management did not agree to implement any of our suggestions. There was no need to close down the factory, as it had not run into losses," he said.

Foxconn India stopped production at the plant in December, stating that it did not have enough orders to run the facility after the sale of its main client Nokia to Microsoft.

The company also notified a VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) for the workers, but the unions have turned it down.